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statusexile · 6 months

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Rip Off the Tag, Get Him Mad

Summary: Konig’s magnetic walk and mysterious mask make him a new darling in the fashion industry, and you manage to score an exclusive interview with him. You might not know what he looks like — but you sure do know what he tastes like.

Pairing: Konig x Reader

Warnings: afab!reader, dub con, dom!Konig, p-in-v, fellatio, mating press, dirty talk, brat taming, breeding kink, cum eating, creampie, badly translated German, reader goes by she/her pronouns, probably not very accurate in terms of both journalism and fashion but who cares I’m only here for sexy times.

Word count: 3,696 words

NSFW. MDNI!

a/n: Got inspired while listening to New Bottega by Azealia Banks and all I could picture in my head was supermodel!Konig for no reason lmao. As always, suggestion and feedback are always welcome along with reblogs and likes. Thank you for reading! ❤️

I put the boy in Galliano, now he’s a fuckin’ model

It was four in the morning and you had just landed in Vienna, your third destination for this week alone. Paris and Milan had taken their toll on your body, leaving you feeling so exhausted and jetlagged that you wondered if they had already become your permanent companions forever. Tired and bleary-eyed, you are ready for a break, but duty called.

You’re one of the most seasoned and notorious fashion journalists, never holding back on saying what everyone’s thinking, even if it means models walking out or crying during your interviews. It’s not personal though; you’re just doing your job, and damn, you’re good at it. Your knack for keeping it real and staying objective makes you stand out in the game.

You managed to sneak in a few hours of sleep before getting ready for Vienna Fashion Week. That afternoon, you rocked a cool vibe with an oversized black blazer that had this rad belt and chain combo going on. The vibe continued with a flowy, see-through black maxi skirt — the kind that made people do a double take. Toss in a mini bag swinging casually by your side, and you are ready to own the fashion week. Of course, the look wouldn't be complete without knee-high black boots, giving off major laid-back but put-together vibes. You kept your makeup minimal because you wanted your outfit to be the focal point of the entire look.

As you arrived at the event, fashion photographers and paparazzi started flocking to you, asking what you’re wearing and what you’re most excited to see during this fashion week. You posed for some photos and answered some questions. After navigating the sea of photographers, you made your way inside, where the atmosphere buzzed with the energy of influential figures in the fashion world, celebrities, and social media influencers. Greetings and compliments flowed as you mingled with the diverse crowd, exchanging smiles and posing for candid snapshots with some of the industry’s most notable figures.

You found yourself in the company of those who shaped the fashion landscape. The anticipation for the runway shows heightened as you took your seat in front row, surrounded by the pulsating energy of the fashion elite. The runway was set to unfold, promising a spectacle that would undoubtedly leave an incredible mark on this fashion week.

It was a runway showcasing the Fall/Winter ready-to-wear collection for men from one of the most prestigious high-fashion brands in the world. Anticipating a display of dark and muted tones, you were aware that the brand had embraced a theme this year focusing on leather. Getting a peek at this theme had you all hyped up, ready to see the slick and stylish gear they’re about to drop.

It doesn’t take long before the lights dim, signaling the start of the show. The sharp contrast between the dim lighting and focused spotlights heightens the dramatic atmosphere as models strut down the runway, showcasing the leather-themed collection. Stud appliques, dark makeup, and industrial styling add an edgy flair as they graze the runway. You’re making mental notes for your upcoming review, absolutely impressed with what you're witnessing. The collection has been really magnificent, surpassing your usual expectations.

The entire show lasted around fifteen minutes before the final model made his entrance. The man that has been the talk of the fashion industry for the last eight months. He strutted in wearing an absolutely grandiose leather coat, wearing a Swarovski-studded mask that covered his entire face. The confidence in his walk conveyed a commanding presence, making it seem as if the entire audience was under his control.

Konig, a native Austrian with real name, age and hair color unknown, stands six foot ten, weighing two hundred and seventy pounds and has piercing blue eyes. The man has been nothing but an enigma, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Opening and closing runaways for prestigious high-end brands — a position that takes years for other models to secure. And what’s even wilder? He pulled it off within his first two months in the industry.

His social media has tens of millions of followers and zero following. The entire page is a curated showcase of his portfolios and videos of his runway walks, nothing more. It doesn’t seem like he’s the one handling his account either. Everything is perfectly set up, adding this extra layer of mystery to him.

You can’t help but wonder: Who is this man? Who’s behind his sudden meteoric rise? Is he a nepo baby? Is he some kind of industry insider pulling strings to get all these bookings without even having a single portfolio before? Could he be a pro basketball player doing a side gig in modeling? Or what if he’s an alien in human disguise? So many questions, but not a single answer. You’ve asked so many people in the industry about him, but it seems like nobody has a clue either.

You’ve seen his casting polaroids and test shoot photos, and even in those, he’s wearing a mask, revealing only his eyes. It really makes you wonder, because that’s the complete opposite of the purpose of taking those photos. They’re meant to showcase your bare face, not cover it up. Yet, somehow, he’s scoring bookings when practically no one has seen his face. How does he even manage to do that?

There are rumors circulating that just a very few high-profile figures in the industry actually know what he looks like, and they can be counted with one hand. Some claim he’s hiding an unflattering appearance under that mask, that’s why he insists on covering his face despite of his exceptional walk and stage presence. Others insist he looks like he’s actually sculpted by a Greek God himself, but he prefers recognition for his walk rather than his looks.

He’s also notorious for rejecting interviews and walking out on them. Even when he agrees to an interview, it's usually short and filled with vague answers. But one day, you send a proposal for an exclusive interview to his management and discover that he’s accepted your request, but he insists it should happen at his own home in Vienna. His request seems a bit unprofessional to you, but it’s your only chance to uncover who this man really is. So, you agreed on his term.

And fortunately for you, that lucky day is today.

After attending a handful more runway shows for the day, you’ve wrapped up your work and are heading back to your hotel. Now, you’re diving into drafting the upcoming articles slated for this fashion week, as you prepare to interview Konig, the man and the myth himself tonight.

Your heart is pounding with a mix of anticipation and nervousness, and you have no idea why. It’s been a long time since you’ve felt anything like this. You’ve interviewed dozens of models in your life, so what’s the difference between them and him? Usually, it’s them who are scared of you, not the other way around.

Brushing aside that feeling, you started preparing for the interview this evening. After a refreshing shower, you got dressed and did your makeup. Wearing a silk white long-sleeve shirt paired with a black pencil midi skirt and black stilettos, you finished the look with a bold choice — ruby red lipstick. For some reason, you’re feeling especially bold for tonight’s interview.

He lives not far from your hotel as you reached your destination in less than fifteen minutes. Following the address provided by his management, you entered the building and found his apartment. Without hesitation, you rang on the doorbell.

He opened the door in no time. It caught you off guard as it was the first time you’ve seen him up close. Describing him as tall seems like a massive understatement; his presence is downright colossal as he stands right in front of you. Dressed in a balaclava, a snug black t-shirt accentuating his sculpted body, and green army-colored cargo pants. This is the first time you’ve had a close look at his eyes, and they are breathtaking — a gorgeous shade of steely blue.

“I’ve been expecting you. Please, come in.” Konig said as he gestured for you to come inside.

As you entered his home, you could see that this man has an exquisite taste in decor. His loft has high ceilings and large windows, making the space feel open and airy. The brick walls and exposed piping create a natural, industrial feel, while the rich, warm tones of red and orange add a cozy touch to the space. The walls are adorned with numerous photographs of his work as a model.

He gestured for you to take a seat on the couch and asked what you’d like to drink. You told him water’s fine, so he disappeared into the kitchen for a bit. When he came back, he placed a glass of water on the coffee table in front of you. He sits on the couch across from you afterward.

“Konig, thank you very much for agreeing to meet with me for this interview. Our magazine really appreciates your time and willingness to share your story with us.” You told him as you took your phone out of your bag, opening the recording app on it.

He leaned back on the couch, crossing his arms. “Anything I could do to help, miss.” he said. You could hear his deep voice with a thick German accent as this is first time you heard him speak.

“By accepting this interview, you consent to being recorded during our conversation today, alright?” you said to him as you pushed the ‘record’ button on your phone. He only nodded in approval.

You began your interview by asking him cookie-cutter questions, such as what inspired him to pursue modeling as a career, how he handles the challenges of balancing work and personal life, who his fashion icons are and how they influenced his personal style, how he stays fit and healthy while maintaining a demanding modeling schedule, and how he handles criticism and negative feedback from the fashion industry and the public. And of course, he answered them all with cookie-cutter answers too.

You could hear the cockiness and smugness in his tone, and you could feel that it annoys you a little bit. Despite being a relative rookie in the scene, his ego seems to radiate through his presence. However, that’s precisely the reason you’re here for this interview — to unmask who this man actually is.

You’re now ready to ask him a tougher question, intending to push his buttons slowly but sure. You’ve convinced yourself that it’s going to happen today. It has to, because this is your only chance.

“Can you explain your reasoning behind the mask? Usually models rely on their facial features as a part of their appeal, so covering it seems counterintuitive.”

Konig seems a bit caught off guard by your question. He stays quiet for a moment, clearly thinking how to respond. You can see that the question has ticked him off a little bit.

“Is that your attempt at a compliment? I’m flattered. I can do whatever I want with my appearance.” Konig answered sarcastically, but the annoyance in his tone was crystal clear. “Besides, I don’t think it’s interrupting my work. I showcase the clothes on the runway, demonstrating what they need to sell. At the end of the day, that's what matters as a model, isn’t it?” he continues.

You can’t argue with him because, well, he’s right. He did his job exactly the way they wanted, and he’s damn good at it. So, all you can do is nod at his answer.

You kept your composure as you continue with your interview, “It’s been suggested that your parents are highly influential figures in the fashion industry and that their connections may have contributed to your quick rise to fame. How would you respond to those allegations?”

Konig let out a scoff, his tone dripping with mockery in response to your next question. “I get it, there are some rumors going around that my parents are some moguls in the fashion industry and they have connections that helped me get where I am today, but let me set this straight: my parents have never worked in the fashion industry and all the success I’ve achieved is because of my own hard work and determination. Just because my career has taken off doesn’t mean it isn’t legit.”

Konig is clearly annoyed at this point, but he still manages to answer your question. You’re surprised he hasn't kicked you out of his home yet. But when you’re about to ask your last question but he suddenly cuts you off,

“You’re really nosy, aren’t you?”

“What can I say, it comes with the job requirement.”

You finally manage to talk back to him because his attitude is clearly getting under your skin, just like your questions seem to annoy him. While he might believe he can act however he pleases, he’s unaware that you’re a journalist. If it weren’t for your commitment to integrity and professionalism, you could easily run your thoughts about his attitude at this point.

“Look, one last question and I’ll be out of your hair,” you told him, you can see his patience is clearly running low at this point. However, what he didn’t know is that you’re about to drop a bomb on him.

“Did you earn your success through talent or hard work or did you have to do… other thing to get where you are today?”

His eyes narrowed into a fierce glare while he stares at you, he clearly doesn’t like the question at all. You could practically feel the tension in the air as he clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth underneath that mask as a silent display of anger.

“I don’t like what you’re implying.”

“And my question still stands.”

He leans forward on the couch, anger flashing vividly in his eyes and now you can almost feel the heat of his irritation as he growls in frustration.

“You can cut through the formal bullshit and just say what you want to say.”

You take your phone from the coffee table and press the ‘stop’ button, finally responding to him in a calm manner.

“Did you fuck your way up to the top, Konig?”

And that was his breaking point. He suddenly stands up from his couch as he walks toward you, anger intensifying in his eyes. He grabs your chin forcefully, making you meet his gaze.

“Not only nosy, but you also have a filthy little mouth, aren’t ya, maus?” you could feel his strong hand squeezing your face so hard that it feels like he’s trying to break your jaw. It was so painful that you couldn’t answer to him at all.

“But don’t worry, I’m gonna do something about it, so you won’t run your filthy mouth anymore, especially at me.” he growls at you while his other hand is unbuckling his belt and unzipped his pants, revealing this thick, enormous cock, already dripping with precum. He grabbed it and then started smearing the precum on your face, slapping his cock a few times on your cheeks.

“You need some serious disciplining, maus. Didn’t they teach you at school that it’s not nice to curse at other people, hm?” Konig started to tease the tip of his cock of your lips, smearing your lips with his precum.

“You’re lucky that I’m here, maybe I can teach you a thing or two about how to behave towards other people. Now open that filthy fucking mouth.” his other hand squeezed your mouth open and he thrusted his cock inside your mouth, forcing you to engulf his entire length in one go, making you violently gag as you could feel his tip touched the back of your throat. And now, he moved his hand from your face to your hair, grabbing a handful of it as he rapidly fucking your mouth.

Tears began streaming down your cheeks, mascara and lipstick began to smear across your face. It’s getting hard for you to breathe because he shoved his cock so deep and slamming it on the back of your throat, pounding over and over again mercilessly. His grip is so strong; it feels like he’s going to rip your entire scalp off.

“Fuuuuck, this mouth of yours is so fucking tight and warm. You should consider leaving your current job and become my personal fuck toy, maus. I would love to use this filthy mouth however and whenever I want, it seems like it’s the only good use for it.” he snickers with a devilish gleam in his eyes while he keeps fucking your mouth relentlessly. You started choking on his length, but he didn’t seem to care, in fact, it made him slam his cock even faster.

It feels like this has been going on forever, and you’re afraid you might get lockjaw anytime soon. But you could feel he’s so close to orgasm as his cock starts twitching in your mouth.

“Oh fuck, I’m gonna cum. I hope you’re ready, schatz, because I’m gonna fill that filthy mouth real good,” he grunts as his thrust becoming more and more erratic. It only takes a couple more thrusts before he came, coating you’re the walls of mouth with his thick seeds.

Konig finally pulled his cock out from your mouth. His cum tastes so bitter, but when you’re about to spit it out, he forcefully grabbed your face again, now facing his face directly.

“You’re not allowed to spit it out. I want you to swallow it but only when I said so. Now be a good girl and keep it in your mouth, but if you didn’t, I can promise that you won’t like the punishment at all. Understood?” he snarls at you but your mouth is so full of his cum you so can only nod at his words.

“Good, because I’m not done with you,” Konig suddenly pushed you back down to the couch as he pulls your legs up forcefully, ripping the side of your tight skirt and yanked your panties, also ripping it in the process. He puts your legs around his waist as he put his cock on top your stomach, seeing how deep it’s gonna go inside of you.

“Hmmm, I don’t think the entire thing is gonna fit. But don’t worry, schatz, I’ll make it fit. I know you can do it, you’re a big girl after all.” Konig lightly taps your cheek, he’s trying to sound sweet but you hear the venom in his tone. You know at that moment he’s definitely going to destroy you.

“Are you on the pill?” he asked again. You can only shake your head, hoping that he’ll go easy on you. “Heh, good.” he suddenly pulled your legs up over his shoulder and titled towards you, he then whispers in a husky tone,

“Weil ich dich so hart ficken werde, bis du mich zum Papa machst.”

His cock suddenly dipping into you, makes you nearly chocked on his cum. You can feel the tip of his cock stretched your cervix thin, slamming the same spot repeatedly as he folds your body like an origami. You feel like you’re going to sprain your neck if you stay in this position for a long time, but of course he didn’t care. He keeps using your body like you’re his personal cum dumpster.

You’re trying to protest but you can’t open your mouth, otherwise you’re gonna spill out his cum and you definitely don’t want that. Only a stifled whimper escapes your lips. He chuckled in response to your failed attempt at protest.

“Not”—thrust—“so”—thrust—“nosy”—thrust—“any”—thrust— “more”—thrust—“aren’t”—thrust—“you”

He’s pounding you hard and fast with each syllable of his words. Your eyes rolled back to the back of your head. Your mind went numb at the intense pleasure.

“Your pussy is so fucking tight, and it’s all mine to use.” he growls at you as he keeps fucking you mercilessly. You’re not on the pill and he’s not using a condom, so there’s a chance he’s going to get you pregnant after this, but they way he’s fucking you so hard and so good makes you not want him to stop until both of you are satisfied.

You can feel he’s close to orgasm again and so are you. Just a couple more thrusts, he finally came inside of you as both of you reached your climax at the same time. Filling you with his thick, milky white cum. Your cheek throbs with pain, your mind feels foggy, and your vision blurs into static.

Konig finally put down your legs, as he seeing his thick cum oozing from your now sore, puffy cunt. He gazes at it, amusement and desire dripping from his eyes. “Now swallow my cum, maus. Stick your tongue out when you’re done, I wanna see you swallow it all.”

You obey him as you swallowed all his cum and sticks out your tongue as a prove. “What an obedient girl.” he said, you can see him smiling through his mask.

He pulls up his pants and plop down next to you on the couch, while you’re still catching your breath and trying to gain your composure.

“I’ll be in New York in two days, and I assume this interview isn’t over. I will tell my manager to send you the hotel address where I’m staying and the room number. I’m expecting to see you there.” he said softly as he caresses your hair gently.

You replied, “I will come, but with one condition: I want to see your face. Otherwise, it's not going to happen.”

He chuckled at your request, “If you play your cards right, that request is not off the table,” he said as he keeps caressing your hair, “But only if you’re a good girl, okay, beautiful?”

He scooches over towards you, leaning as he whispers in your ear,

“Otherwise, I’ll use you just like I use the rest of them.”

#whew this took forever to write ngl #konig #könig #konig x reader #konig x reader smut #könig x reader #könig x reader smut #call of duty modern warfare 2 smut #call of duty #call of duty smut #call of duty warzone #cod mw2 x reader #cod mw2 smut #cod smut #shaf writes #tw: dubcon

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gallusrostromegalus · 1 year

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Do mermaids exist in tpof?

There's exactly one "Classic" Mermaid. A pregnant woman on the west coast of Ireland was afflicted by a curse where she'd give birth to a Lingcod instead of a human baby, but since she was carrying twins, the curse was split between them. One sister has a human head, chest and abdomen, and from her pelvic girdle on she has the powerful and beautiful tail of a Blue Lingcod. She's the current record holder for long-distance swimming, starred in several movies and holds multiple modelling contracts- but she's always been notably jealous of her sister, who has the head and chest of a Lingcod but the pelvis and legs of a human and (the source of her sister's ire) a devoted husband.

There's a few things that European sailors could have mistaken for human women while they were on long voyages, dying of syphilis and scurvy too- Dugong and Dolphins both exist in great numbers in TPOFATGIF, along with some very large Mimic Octopodes. But the most likely, or at least, most startling candidate is a creature only described in 1996- Ziphiius andersoni, or "Anderson's Beaked Whale", after the first ...semi-credible witness.

Ziphidae is a family of deep-diving whales whales known almost entirely by beached corpses, and Z. andersoni holds the peculiar title of the most and least seen member of the family. No body has ever been found to examine, but the animal is (apparently) the subject of many amateur sightings.

Like most Beaked Whales, Z. andersoni is about 13 feet long, and shaped like an extremely hydrodynamic sweet potato- a sharply tapered head, tubular body with small pectoral fins and a minimal dorsal fin, and an similarly sharply tapered tail with small fins, and a mouth with only two teeth- a pair of overdeveloped lower canine teeth that form a pair of tusks. Unlike most marine life, Z. andersoni has reverse Cryptic camouflage- where most marine animals are darkly colored on the dorsal side and pale beneath to hide from predators in the open water, Z. andersoni has a large, bright white pattern on it's back that starts at the head and runs the length of it's spine and across the tail fin, and includes both pectoral and pelvic saddle patches. between the whale's darkened and unusually anterior blowholes and the gloom of the twilight waters they inhabit, Z. andersoni's peculiar markings bear a STARTLING resemblance to a human woman with a piscene tail.

The species is named after the famed Fairy Tale Author, Hans Christen Anderson, who in 1835 saw what he described as a "Mermaid" swimming near the surface of the North Sea coast near Hanstholm, Denmark, when out in a rowboat with a cousin on a summer holiday. The Mermaid was "Ghostly pale, with large, dark eyes that stared up at us as she passed. She circled the boat thrice, seemingly regarding us with sadness, before she vanished into a cloud of sea-foam and we could not find her again." This encounter inspired him to write The Little Mermaid the following year. Despite his and his cousin's insistence that the event took place exactly as described, it was largely written off by the general public, and Anderson was discouraged from sharing it by his publisher.

In 1996, a family had a similar experience while Kayaking, save that this time the encounter took place in the sunny clear waters off Baja, Nihofornia, and the family had a video camera. A juvenile Z. andersoni approached them, circled the family a few times and even hung out under them for almost 12 minutes. This video proof sparked international interest, with dozens of other pictures, videos and oral accounts coming forward about encounters with these strangely friendly yet elusive creatures.

Most Recently, an exceptional individual, thought to be an old bull from it's size (i and scarring was seen following underwater welders as they repaired an underwater naval installation, picking off the curious squid that came to investigate the lights. The Naval Engineers have nicknamed the animal "The Duke", short for "Ducolax" on account of one of the engineers realizing there was 16-foot long, multi-ton carnivore floating just over his shoulder and (understandably) shitting himself.

#TPOFATGIF #The Power Of Friendship (And This Gun I Found!)#Yugioh #Yugioh fanfic #this is nowhere NEAR the weirdest thing that the whale family has produced in that Universe #Illustration to follow

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wrenwinchester · 2 months

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Bear with me here. Because I have. Some thoughts.

First things first, visit here for another in depth analysis of the table carvings that doesn’t really have anything to do with my commentary, but I found it while looking for the picture for the table and liked their analysis. So….

Anyway, the table. We watch as Sam and Dean carve their own initials, and we know Mary’s initials get added after her death in season 14. That’s all fine and dandy. And we know Cas and Jack’s names get added sometime after Cas’s death, and presumably after Jack leaves, but we don’t really know when, or even by who. We also don’t really know who carved Mary’s initials, not really.

However, we see Sam and Dean’s different styles of carving into things twice. (Sorry about the gore it was the cleanest picture I could find of the car initials completely.)

Now, neither of the boys are identical, however, we can see a distinct difference between Sam and Dean’s style. Dean carves deep, so it will stay a long time, despite wear and tear. Sam however carves wide. He carves out his initials instead of making a hole. It’s much more surface level, almost as if he’s scared of getting in trouble and wants it to be easier to get rid of. But that’s something we can get into later.

When they add Mary’s initials there are a couple things that tip us off that it was Dean who actually carved them in, A) they’re from that direction, which is the side/seat Dean almost always sits in when both brothers are up and about. And B) it has that same depth to it as his initials, and the same style of how the lives meet. Therefore Dean carved Mary’s initials.

However, this brings us back to Jack and Cas.

Both Cas and Jack’s names have that same width over depth, more surface level carving as Sam’s initials. Especially when compared to Dean and Mary’s. The S in Castiel has very similar strokes to the S for Sam’s initials, and the A’s and C’s in their names are similar if not the same (or as same as they can be considering they were carved into wood and sometimes the grain of the wood disrupts flow a little bit).

This, to me, means that Sam was the one to carve Castiel and Jack’s names into the table. And I’d even bet, that he didn’t do it until after Dean died.

Now I could be wrong about this last part, but if I’m remembering correctly, we don’t see all five names/initials until after Dean’s death. While Sam is sitting at the table (notably in Dean’s spot, and wearing dean’s sweatshirt.) with Miracle, so it’s plausible, and even probable.

And I’d bet he did it when he decided he couldn’t live in the bunker anymore without Dean because every little thing reminded him of his brother. And I’ll bet he did it because they are a part of his family and they deserved to be remembered too.

Castiel, the angel of Thursday, the angel who betrayed heaven for the sake of humanity. Who chose over and over again to take the Winchester’s side over any other supernatural being because he trusted their sense of right versus wrong. Castiel, one of the Winchester’s only friends who stuck around, who made sure that they took care of themselves, and made sure to save them while they were saving the world. Castiel, the Winchester’s best friend.

And Jack, their kid. Sure, he was the spawn of Lucifer, but he was Castiel’s kid. He was Sam’s kid, and he was Dean’s kid. (I’ll get to a rant about Dean and Jack’s relationship at a different point because I have thoughts.) Jack saved the world, and he turned out good because of Castiel, because of Sam, and because of Dean. Jack took the mantle of God to protect the world, so he could protect his family, and keep the angels from interfering with human affairs.

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catboybiologist · 6 months

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Hey, transfem who has only started to like her body about half a year ago here

As someone who takes a lot of pictures of themselves, do you have any resources/tips for angles or something that accentuates feminine features?

Also in regards to having a somewhat normal facial expression, like my eyes look so weird in every picture I take bc I don't know where to look

This response ended up WAY longer than I expected, and I think Imma add it to my pinned post- thanks for pushing me to talk about this! I don't think I'm really an expert here, but if people want to leave more advice in reblogs and comments, please do.

So when I say "I had two years of femboy experience before transferring to the related (and potentially overlapping) but separate field of trans womanhood" I'm only like... half joking. Selfie angles took a fucking wild amount of time for me to figure out, and guess what? The pictures I post are usually 1-3 in a set of about 20 that I take at any given time. I'm still unhappy with most pictures I take, you just gotta take a lot of them, and figure out for yourself.

That said, I think I have gotten a lot better over time. Behold, the first selfie I posted on reddit (warning for kinda cringe but I know y'all fuck with that):

(Damn, my thighs look good when I properly shave, gotta do that sometime)

(btw I'm 23 in this pic so feel free to simp if you so desire)

And another early one:

This was still selected from a bunch that were horrible, but you can really tell that my face is basically just covered in fabric entirely. My eyes look very dead in both. Compare that to:

^this one is still pre-transition, so don't blame the estrogen.

So what are my specific tips? Well, the classic "selfie angle" is from above. This angle certainly helps, but why? Personally I've found that its far less about angles are far more about lighting. Since most lighting is overhead, taking selfies from above means that you'll have a well lit face in those standard lighting conditions. Notice that in both the early selfies and the later one, the camera is actually positioned below my height level, and there's still a noticeable facial difference between them. The reason this is possible is good, forward lighting. Generally, you want a soft light source to be vaguely behind the camera, shining onto your face- but make sure its not too close, or too bright. This will ensure that harsh shadows don't artificially make your features look much different than they actually are.

Another thing that cannot be understated: DISTANCE between yourself and the camera, especially if you're using a phone camera. There are several reasons for this- notably, it'll help make the background be framed more pleasantly, as well as prevent the camera/phone itself from shadowing your face. But there's also a massive, insidious reason this happens- all phone cameras have some degree of fisheye to their lens to increase the field of view while still using compact optics. Multiple lens have helped a bit, but its still a problem on all of them. Higher end phones will algorithmically correct for this, but they also add a TON of other postprocessing "beautification" in ways that are sometimes completely invisible (insert entire rant here about how this is a deceptive marketing tactic to make a brands phone cameras seem better than they actually are). Sometimes, these edits are way off base. But I digress. The fisheye is killer because it takes any slightly more prominent feature and bulges them out, including the nose and chin. Conversely, recessed features, like eyes and the sides of your cheeks, are going to be less emphasized. Moving further away from the camera significantly reduces this. If you can get a small phone tripod and take selfies that way, it'll alleviate this. Unfortunately my living space is not large atm, and I have less motivation to bother my roommates in the common areas and use their hallways for picture taking, so this has been a little lacking in more recent selfies. It's also just a lot of work for a couple quick selfies, so its hard to do right- but it genuinely makes a world of difference.

Otherwise, my advice about eyes would be that your eyes show your overall facial expression, even if you're covering your mouth. Most of my pictures are taken while smiling slightly under the mask, and it shows in the eyes. If I want a scarier looking picture, I'm stone faced or deliberately make my entire face angrier, and you end up with the "glaring directly down the camera wanting to kill you" face. Referring to the pictures I just posted- the first two are both dead faced under the mask, whereas in the last one, I'm doing a smug, sultry smirk. The eyes then reflect that.

Don't focus on specifically trying to open your eyes wider. Change your facial expression and just let them be how they want to be in relation to that. Eye position should fully commit to looking straight into the camera, or be fully distracted with something else, imo (including the screen of your phone, if you're doing something like a mirror selfie). If you're taking a mirror selfie, look at the camera lens as it's reflected in the mirror. A HUGE takeaway is that cameras, especially phone cameras, straight up lie to you. They don't work the same way as the human eye, and have to compensate for that- but they'll never be a completely faithful representation of what you look like. Don't let your ego be affected by how you look in pictures, when all is said and done.

And of course, experiment, experiment, experiment! Figure out the lighting you can get in the space you have available, and the angles that work for you! Don't be afraid to delete selfies you don't like! Show off your style and your features in the way you want to! There are no rules for what's attractive, this is just what I do and you should develop your own style!

I guess I'll take this with both femboy and trans tags bc the selfies are pre-HRT

#trans #trans advice #transgender #selfie #selfie advice #femboy #femboy advice #femboy fashion #crossdressing tutorial

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genericpuff · 11 months

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Rachel "Retcon" Smythe Strikes Again!

Okay, so I've been seeing pictures of Volume 4 of Lore Olympus floating around, and people are ALREADY FINDING RETCONS.

Most notably so far, some added panels in the Hades and Apollo confrontation that happens outside Artemis' house (when Persephone steals Apollo's lyre) in Episode 81.

This is the original scene, for anyone who needs a refresher:

Aaaand here are the panels that were added.

(all pictures of Volume 4 are courtesy @iwannagutyou on IG!!! thank you for giving me permission to use these! <3)

First of all, the art. It's so noticeably bad. You can tell Rachel has completely lost her ability to draw these characters in the S1 style, I'm fairly certain she took the panel of Hades from the old version and just copy pasted it to try and get around it (look at the posing) but it's incredibly obvious looking at that third panel that LO is not and can never be what it was back in 2017-2019. Those first two panels seem like they were copy pasted from the previous ones, which is just sad if those are the lengths she has to go to to come even close to replicating the older style.

Now, this just might be due to camera translation, it could very well look better IRL, but the colors just look so incredibly desaturated and the lines blurred out, to the point that people are doing double takes over whether or not panels have been directly changed - they haven't been, they've just been so sucked dry of their colors that they look off enough to cast suspicion.

If anything it's a harsh reminder that LO has kinda always had art problems, especially with its lazy humor and stupid meme faces.

Of course, to be fair, color loss can happen in print, but seeing how slapped together these books tend to be, I wouldn't be surprised if they just didn't put in the effort to convert the page art to CMYK or at least tinker with the saturation in editing some more to ensure it would come out more vibrant in print.

Now. Excuse me while I go on a bit of a crackpot rant here. Newbie puff pals beware, because this is gonna get dicey and you're about to learn where my tinfoil-hat rep comes from but I just have to talk about it.

Back to the added Apollo panels, where Persephone asks Hades not to hurt him and he looks nervous before she says "I just want him to leave".

Maybe it's just me, but it's a little weird that THESE are the panels they decided they needed to add. It's weird that she's asking Hades not to hurt Apollo when she's about to break into his car and steal his lyre just a few moments later. It's weird that the implication seems to be that she's referring to Hades' act of violence towards Tori... but Persephone doesn't know that's happened yet. So this feels like an unnecessary retcon that's doing more harm than good.

But I feel like the timing of this is kinda messed up as well, as this book released just days after the release of the last FP episode in which Apollo has his 'side' of the assault story told through his perspective, which is often considered a HUGE no-no in writing assault stories because it often comes with the implication that it's asking for empathy from the audience. We already know Apollo is delusional, we already know he thinks him and Persephone are meant to be despite her constant rejection of him, we didn't need a flashback from his own warped perspective explaining that very thing, the only purpose to do such a thing this late in the game would be to try and get the audience to 'connect' with him (it's giving S3 Bryce from 13 Reasons Why vibes). Now we have this scene of Persephone asking Hades not to hurt him (despite the structure of the episode being literally fine before, this change wasn't needed) getting snuck into the physical book release just a couple days after the newest FP tried to present Apollo in an empathetic light (and let me tell you, that's a whole essay and a half that I'll be getting into eventually).

Shit, if I wanted to get REAL Pepe Sylvia with it, I might say that hypothetically, the whole point of the random Leuce abuse episode - despite Persephone having no way of knowing what she attempted as Hades hadn't told her and she wasn't there to see it and we weren't shown her overhearing them in any way - and the following episode that was mostly padding of Hades and Persephone having sex - no consequences or follow-up whatsoever to the Leuce scene - was just to pad out the episode release schedule and buy time until the book came out so that Rachel could release that Apollo POV episode right before the book came out and revealed those new added scenes of Persephone asking Hades not to hurt Apollo, in what could be a sly artificial attempt at minimizing the SA plot so Rachel can finally just brush aside the one major plot point she regretted writing the most. After all, it wouldn't be the first time Rachel's controlled the pace of her comic to release certain moments at certain times that line up with IRL events.

But, y'know. I'm gonna quit on that thought while I'm ahead because it's probably making my credibility meter drop into the red. My ADHD has been real bad lately and it's really starting to show LMAO All ima say is that IDK who Rachel thinks she's fooling here, this kind of shit is stupid easy to fact check when the digital version of the comic is available online to read.

To end on a much funnier and lighter note, remember how Rachel tried to retcon the Demeter/Hera/Hestia relationship by changing the line "I miss my sisters" to "I miss my friends"? Well, there was one panel that had been missed in the webtoons version that still refers to them as sisters. You can still find this unedited line in Episode 78.

And uh. They forgot to fix it again for the book.

It's permanent now. That's permanent marker. It would have cost them nothing to find this in the webtoon version and fix it before it got sent to the book editors. Now it's gonna cost them thousands because the book editors didn't bother (or know) to check.

There's also this... weird shit going on with the speech bubbles. Like, they're REALLY FUCKING OVERDOING IT with the speech bubble outlines. I don't know who made this choice but it was a bad one. Gross. Don't do that. It looks so cheap.

But let's be real, at this point I feel like the book editors are just outright sabotaging Rachel because who the fuck calls themselves a professional when they do this shit-

Oh, and there's no bonus episode, just sketches. Which is fine. But it makes me chuckle to think that Rachel just didn't have time in her already razor-thin buffer to draw up a new episode to pass off as "cut content".

#i'm fired for that whole conspiracy bit aren't i #can you blame me when the wedding was lined up with valentine's day and dio's birth was lined up with mother's day #i swear to christ rachel does this on purpose it's so unhinged #just write a story #it doesn't make your comic 'deep' to line it up with real world dates that aren't gonna matter in 3 weeks anyways when they go up for free #it's just so unnecessary and pointless to do #lore olympus critical #lo critical #antiloreolympus #anti lore olympus

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aliveinacoffin · 10 months

Text

Deja ya de llorar

Shoto x GN! Reader

You've had a very bad day, and you're very tired, and you have a very cute husband.

little angst/very comfort, mostly fluff ^*^

The front door swung open harshly before it was more gently clicked into place. The decoration hung on the outside knocking back in protest.

You violently kicked your shoes off, not bothering to put them neatly back in their place in the shoe cubby that rested against the wall. Trying to get on with the settling down process, you went through the motions of hanging up your jacket, not noticing that you missed your mark and instead, it fell miserably to the floor.

"I'm hooome." You sighed, barely loud enough to be heard from the front door to the kitchen. You then limply tripped over the side, flopping down hard on the couch, squishing your face on the plush cushions.

There was silence in the house, no sounds of music or the TV playing. Most notably, no sound of your husband. Usually, he was out in the dining room doing papers or just otherwise bumbling around the house. Sometimes he'd meal prep or work out or even just be doing some D.I.Y project. But today, there seemed to be an absence of him. Which, wasn't a big deal, both of you were heroes, having met each other in class 1-A. Ever since you two had just been inseparable, clung together like magnets. Still, he made no mention that he would be working late.

You sighed and flipped over to your back, and took your phone out of your pocket. Lazily, you dialed his work phone and waited for him to pick up.

"This is Icy-Hot. I'm not available right now, reach either my assistant, partner, or me at a later time. I apologize for the inconvenience." The familiar one-toned voice you had gotten used to bleated back to you, and the phone beeped to leave a message. You made a confused noise before moving over to his personal phone number, the one that not many people had.

Just as the call was going to send you to voice mail, he picked up. "Hello? Is everything alright?" Shoto's voice called out to you, concern lacing his voice.

"No," You sighed, exhaustion taking over you slowly, unable for you to fight it much longer, "You weren't home and I was just making sure you were alive."

He chuckled, "Well I am don't worry. I'm on my way home soon, just another big battle in Tokyo, and you know how traffic can be." He sounded happy and content, and jealousy filled you at his ease.

"I hope it went well, and I'm glad you're safe. I love you, get home soon."

"It did, I'll tell you more at home. I love you, I'll see you soon."

The call disconnected, leaving the house in silence again. Suddenly, without even prompt or major reason, tilled filled your eyes and you were left breathless.

You were so tired, your body and mind so worn down that everything was moving too fast for you to keep up. Your eyes stung all the time, and your joints ached, body screaming in protest for running on fumes for so long.

You also had so many hard cases this month, a tsunami had hit the east, and because of the shortest of pros, you had been sent down there to mitigate the damage. The things you saw only added to the pile of horrors that kept you up at night. Lost little girls, old men torn apart, and young men crying in the middle of the street would haunt you for years to come. The paperwork and reconstruction that took weeks to finish, on top of commission work and public work, you were left beaten and bruised.

You cried yourself to sleep on the couch, too tired to change out of your civilian clothes or even move yourself to a comfortable position to find even a restful sleep.

___________________________________________

When you woke up, crusty, thirsty, and hungry, you found yourself in your shared room. Pictures of you and Shoto decorated the space, along with your different families and friends. Books, papers, and other small trinkets littered the room. When you came home after being away from a work trip, it always made your heart warm and fuzzy at your cozy living space, knowing you shared it with the person you loved the most.

You heard soft music from the downstairs, and slowly you drifted out of your bedroom. (You were also pleasantly surprised to find yourself in soft pjs.) Peeking out, a smiled crawled on your face at the sight you were blessed with.

Shoto, still in his hero outfit, was swaying softly to a soft song that you recognized, Hijo del corazón. While doing so he was making your favorite comfort meal. Both of you always had each other's comfort meals prepped and ready to go in case the others needed it.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" You said sleepily, hooded bagged eyes looking at him with ease.

Shoto turned to you, jumping a little in surprise before he completely melted under your gaze.

"Yeah, you tell me every day you love me, plus, I get a daily reminder you do every time I wash my hands." He tapped to the ring on his finger, the pale moon gem that was the centerpiece. The weight of your sun ring reminded you of both your vows, in sickness and in health.

"True, but I super love you." You walked closer to him, nuzzling against him while he kept busy.

"I love you, hard day?" He asked, and even though his eyes were on the food, you knew you had his full undivided attention.

"Hard month more like it. I'm just glad we're almost done though." You sighed, dragging your feet to grab a glass of water. Your heart filled with warmth when you saw your respective bachelor party cups.

"I'm glad, I miss you at home." Shoto said almost pouting.

"Just a little bit more recon, and a smidge more paperwork and I'm back to a normal work schedule. What about you though?" You asked, eyeing him up and down with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He turned to you, looking at you with his own raised eyebrows while he carried the food to the table.

"You're still in your hero suit, you didn't change back at the agency." You said that the answer was the simplest thing in the work. In truth, it kinda was.

"Oh," He looked down at himself, embracement suddenly flooding his cheeks. "I was just in such a rush to get home, I guess I didn't change." He started to eat with you.

"Why the rush? I'll always make it home." Or try to, at least.

"I missed you, plus, I have a surprise." Shoto suddenly got up, walking over to the kitchen to grab a fancy-looking velvet box.

"Sho' I don't mean to break your heart, but we've already gotten married." You laughed quietly at your own joke, turning in your spot to follow him.

"No not that. I know you don't really like jewelry, but I saw it and I just had to give it to you." He had you the box gently, placing it in your awaiting hands.

You looked at him before tenderly peeling open the box, and a gasp escaped your lips when you saw what was inside.

It was a beautiful golden heart-shaped locket. The design it had was stunning, on the front was an open sort of caged design, and you could see the inside of the locket through it. Around the mini heart-shaped window was a winged sort of design with small bridges on the side. On the back were two interlocked hearts surrounded by leaves and little tiny snowflakes.

When you peeled it open, it was your guy's wedding pictures. But it wasn't one where either of you were fake smiling. Instead, it was you ugly laughing with your eyes closed and leaning toward Shoto. While he had the widest grin ever looking at you so tenderly it made tears spring to your eyes.

"Oh Sho', it's beautiful. Thank you so much, I love it." You stood up to bring him into a tight hug. He hugged you twice as hard, resting his head on your shoulder.

"Of course, I hoped you'd like it." He whispered.

"I love it, thank you so much for being here for me." You sighed into his arms, the warm embrace he protected you into would always bring you inner peace.

God you loved this man, and you knew he loved you ten times as much.

#x reader #my hero academia #todoroki shoto #shoto todoroki #shoto torodoki x reader #shoto x you #mha #mha x reader #shoto x reader #fluff #hes so cute #todoroki x reader

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caramel1mochi · 7 months

Text

ぐちゃ ! (Splat!) [Yoru x F! Reader] [4.5]

Heya!!

Guess what? I managed to write a short one between chores! I would've made it longer, but I'm terrible at hiding things and my dad would've been pissed if he found out haha

Promise when I'm 100% free, the next one won't be under 10k words!! Dare I say, pinky promise.

❤ฺ·。

Yoru x F! Reader

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 4.5 / Part 5 / Part 6

Genre: Fluff, angst

TW: Heavy mentions of anxiety. Like really really heavy haha

Words: 4.9k

Synopsis: Hapless doesn't even begin to describe you. With your life flipped upside down within the span of a day; you're left to rely on your best friend Tala to help you pick up the pieces and build the new one forced upon you. And this 'luck' seems to have caught the attention of one of her friends.

。+❤ฺ·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ· +❤·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ·

It’s been a long time since that debacle took place. And you never knew how fun it would be to spend a few hours with Omen looking up on how to make candles, but here you were, in the cafeteria, with a few dozen candles in the counter.

You’d taken a short break to shower and, in that time, you had discovered that Neon snuck in that spiked choker you saw that day at the store. But since she was gone today, you decided to wear it and save the scolding for later.

Luckily, though you haven’t seen Neon today, it started off well with you being called to Viper’s office. It seems like, after that catastrophe and everyone had their rest, the break was now officially over. And you were deemed ready to be sent off on your first mission.

Simple, just a mission where you’d be playing a passive role whilst your partner took care of most of the work.

Viper tapped on her laptop and rapidly switched to different folders. But given that you stood on the other side, the back of the device facing you, you had no idea what she was doing.

“So, I’ve singled out the best candidates for this mission, but you can only pick one.”

You nodded with a smile, and she began listing out their names.

“You can either choose Chamber, Astra, Fade, or Sova.”

She flipped the laptop and allowed you to look over their pictures. And yeah, sure, seeing their faces helped, but you still had one tiny issue.

“I don't know any of them. I don’t think I’ve even talked to them once. Can’t you pick like, Jett, or Neon?”

Viper straightened her back, arms crossed.

“This isn’t a scouting mission, those two can’t anchor the area I want them to.” She crossed her arms. “You’ve been here for almost two weeks, have you really not talked to everyone here?”

You nervously shook your head, and she flipped the laptop back towards her.

On your first mission, you hoped you’d get someone close so that you wouldn’t let your anxiety get the best of you. You wanted to explain, but the words just wouldn’t come out. Guilty couldn’t even describe how you felt. Was she feeling annoyed? Did she think you were hopeless? Maybe you should’ve strayed from your comfort zone for once and talked to everyone here! Maybe you–

“I can manage to fit in Yoru, instead. Omen told me you talked to him often. Is that true?”

Your face turned white, and you awkwardly laughed.

“Why not, uh, you know, Skye, at least? She’s probably a better candidate, and stuff.”

It just felt so awkward when he’d just healed up only a day before.

“Yoru’s the best I can do. He’s also the best when it comes to novice agents. I guarantee things will go smoothly with him.”

“Uh, what? How can you be so sure?”

“I’ve seen him with Neon. Her performance was notable around him, and it’s not just because they’re friends.” She straightened her back once more, sighing. “Look, I’ll talk to him. If he says no, I’ll see if I can squeeze Neon in.”

You almost wanted to laugh at the thought. Yoru, and best when it comes to novice agents? Please. He’s probably only reliable because he uses physical force to keep things in order.

If anyone would fulfil that role, it would definitely be Omen. you remembered how he calmed you down that day, how much more gentle he was compared to Yoru. The same guy who called you spineless and dubbed it ‘honesty’, or whatever mental gymnastics that was.

“Okay, great! I’ll go get ready, then.”

Just as you turned to the door, Viper called out and forced you to halt.

“Hold it.”

You turned and met her gaze nervously.

“Just in case things don’t go well, promise me you’ll cooperate. I tolerate enough squabbles as is, and I'm not in the mood for more. You won’t be arguing with Yoru. Is that clear?”

…

You forced a smile and nodded. With how stern her tone was, her rigid posture and those piercing green eyes, how could you not be alarmed?

“I’ll– uh, you– you have my word.”

“Do I?”

You nodded once more. And this time, it was only a tiny bit more convincing than the previous one.

“Good. Well then. Chop chop.”

You were finally allowed to leave, and this chance was immediately taken before she’d say anything else. With a loud slam, you left her office and immediately made your way down the halls towards the more familiar sections of the HQ.

And on the way, sure you intended on keeping your no-argument promise, you were also desperately hoping that he’d say no.

❤ฺ·。

With Yoru by your side, it felt like the very grim reaper decided to accompany you, despite the fact that his skin beamed like that of a newborn baby’s. Cute, admittedly, but you still had to work with someone who probably hates your guts and you didn’t know why he even said yes.

Fun.

Nevertheless, unable to go back, you were forced to exit the vehicle and make your way towards a deserted part of town. Guns in hand, you were nearly ready until you took in the sight that befell you.

Sure, it was just an alley, but the rows of buildings that towered over you on each side were stunning, especially when combined with the gentle touch of the morning sun’s rays. Built with unfathomable meticulousness, their baroque architecture rendered your mind blank for a few seconds. It felt like you were staring at a renaissance painting in real time.

Yoru immediately noticed your silence.

“What’s up with you?”

You were ripped away from your hypnotic state, anxiously cradling your Bulldog like a baby.

“Nothing, I–” you turned your gaze to the path, “just surprised.”

Though you were angry at him in every sense of the word, you couldn’t help but note the tone of that question. What the hell?

You met his gaze.

“Are you okay?”

Yoru cleared his throat and kept his eyes on the exit way in front of you.

“Tell me you read the brief.”

“I– uh, what? Duh, why wouldn’t I?”

“Great. So that means I won't have to baby you.”

You rolled your eyes and moved past an abandoned bicycle, strapped to a withered tree growing through the flooring, somehow. Surprisingly enough, Yoru took a sharp turn towards said bike.

“Wait, wait, where are we going?”

“The Radianite reserves, lady.”

He explained. And only when you followed him did you see a black gate, obscured by the tree. You held your weapon and followed him in silence in an attempt to shield your embarrassment.

The mission sounded easy enough, though. Go in, delete some files, and get out. Boom, done.

Both of you climbed up the stairs, and you were unable to voice a question that randomly popped up earlier. Were the mirrors really just them, but from another earth? It sounded so surreal, not when you haven’t even caught a glimpse–

“Locked.”

Yoru said, attempting to force the doors to one of the buildings open. You stepped up, looking around for any other entrances. Aside from windows waiting to be shot, there was naught, and Viper specifically stated that nothing be damaged unless it’s an emergency.

And the feeling that Yoru would constitute this as an emergency popped up. He’s going to punch or shoot the glass, isn’t he?

“Well, we can always just find another door.”

“Tch, what are we, delivery boys?”

Or girl scouts. He pulled back his arm.

“Yoru, wait–”

A loud contorting sound took over your ears. But instead of breaking the window, you watched his fingers somehow disappear like they were being cut off. Then, he moved his arm, and a massive rip formed in front of him, various shades of blue merging together each second that counted by. It dwarfed you in height, considering that it worked to match his.

It was as if he tore the very air to reveal… whatever that was. And to say you were baffled would be an understatement.

“Uh–”

“Stay here.”

He ordered, and slipped into the dimension, the storm of blue surrounding him like some form of ethereal being. However, amidst your shock, you noticed the opening close.

“Yoru, wait, don’t–”

With one swift motion, it sewed itself shut, and he was gone.

“...leave me here…”

You brought the bulldog close to your chest and hugged it, rapidly looking around. You were jumpy. So much so, the sounds of the very leaves touching the ground made you react, even the pebbles that were crushed under you with each step.

Where the hell did he go? The least he could’ve done was provide a demonstration for his abilities!

But then again, you just argued… Gah, that idiot. Does he ever think logically?! What if one of the mirrors already arrived and could see you out in the streets like this?

You jumped and aimed at the door once the doorknob twisted. With each second the person behind it spent fumbling with it, you backed up, doing your best to keep your aim steady. And with one more click, it swung open, revealing…

Yoru.

“How–”

“Hurry up.”

He ushered you inside, giving you only a picosecond to comprehend what the hell he just did.

You huffed and walked behind him, using the lingering glowing shards of blue that surrounded him as a guide amidst the darkness of the building. Whatever was inside, you weren’t sure, but you knew the colours were stunning.

You suddenly felt a burst of confidence, especially since he willingly came along.

"Couldn't help yourself, huh?"

And you immediately regretted saying that.

"Tch, as if. Viper forced me here because you'd freak out working with people you don't know."

"Oh… really?"

"I would've expected you to at least talk to Sova or Astra. But if I were you, I'd stay away from the Chamber and Fade."

You stared at the elevator you both neared for a moment, the metal doors glimmering in the darkness almost like a guide built especially for you.

"Why?"

"I just don't trust either of them. Unless you're into animals, Chamber's good with those, I guess."

"Isn't that Gekko's thing?"

"Gekko has asthma, genius."

He promptly pressed the button on the elevator. Surprisingly enough, it still functioned, and a green ring encircled the button alongside the distant rumbling. Against the eerie silence around you, it stood out, like a distant titan taking slow steps towards the city.

How the hell did Yoru of all people keep track of everyone’s ailments? Even you forgot he had asthma. The silent screech of the elevator doors sliding open promptly snatched your attention.

“You know, for a loner, you know a lot about everyone."

"Someone has to babysit when Sage isn't around."

You giggled, entering alongside him.

"Really? Who's the hardest to babysit?"

"All of them."

Yoru slipped out a disc from his pocket and attached it to the screen of the elevator’s keypad. With a press of the button proudly displayed on the front, it glowed and immediately began working at the elevator, moving you towards the reserves.

You weren’t sure whether or not he was just bragging or being truthful about this babysitting thing, but it was funny to imagine. Yoru completely lacked the patience Sage was endowed with. Maybe one day you’d walk in on him tossing someone to a rift.

❤ฺ·。

The moment the elevator opened, Yoru immediately walked out and marched across the massive room you weren’t given a moment to process, moving in between the stacks upon stacks of glowing cyan boxes. This sight, though normal to him, was completely arcane to you. Said boxes were the only sources of light in the area. Combined with the dust and the intimidating darkness, it was hard to tell what’s what, despite their insistence on how simple the mission is.

“A/N. That wall next to the cables,” he pointed at the far left corner of the area, “find a way to break it down without too much damage.”

You looked over at where he pointed.

It matched up with the words on the brief, there was a room on the other side that was so well-hidden it was nearly impossible to get in traditionally.

“Didn’t Viper say that there shouldn’t be any damage?”

He took out a flash drive, inserting it into the computer and turning it on. It allowed Cypher access to exactly what he wanted, and you could tell he immediately got to deleting by the command prompt that popped up.

“That was a recommendation.”

Right.

You turned and stopped in front of the wall, held out your hand and worked on only emerging a small part of your hand. Most importantly, your pinky finger, so that it doesn’t take much room. Your eyes were stuck on the ground and you watched it diligently, waiting to detect any shadow that was out of place.

And as you worked, a tiny portion of your mind wandered elsewhere.

You could see why Viper picked this mission for you. All you had to do was take away any proof that radianite exists in this area, and you’re gone. Nothing too heavy, and perfect enough for you to comprehend what was to come. Even Yoru looked bored out of his mind as he worked.

Clearly, what he was used to was so much worse. Duh. He proudly showcased his previously mangled neck to you a few days ago.

But unlike him, you felt excited. This was the perfect way to ease you into things.

The air then stopped.

With a loud bang, an invisible force smashed against a portion of the concrete wall, breaking down an entrance. It was barely wide and tall enough to fit you. Without words, you knew Yoru would give you a dirty look, wouldn’t he? But then again, you also thought he’d be savagely breaking his way in, so.

You gently twisted your hand, and more of the wall came tumbling down, large chunks of it piling on to the ground alongside the debris that scattered like scared fish. You successfully formed an ‘elegant’ entrance enough to fit either of you, but not too big to break down the roof on top of you.

Perfect.

“Hoy, I’m going in!”

You called out, earning a hum from him. And with that, you entered, taking in the more crowded area.

Boxes were scattered everywhere, and so were the cables. Blueprints, paperwork, drawers upon drawers, all of it added on to the messy look of the room. Clearly, this area carried the most confidential data. You observed the contents for a few seconds, perking up at the sight of another computer.

Bingo.

Taking out your own gadget, you plugged it in and turned it on, watching as the flash drive worked to infiltrate whatever was within. Scanning, taking in the information, isolating what was important, then swiping it. Judging by the fact it took three minutes to even get to one percent, you were sure it would take a while.

You took a step back with a sigh, setting down your weapon on the massive mouse pad and looking around.

A thump from above made you jump, and on instinct, you immediately looked up. Your vision proved to be useless, but your other senses weren’t. Your palpitations increased exponentially once another thump echoed throughout. Then, a set of noises that you could make out as footsteps.

Multiple.

“Yoru, I– uh, I think there’s people here.”

“There aren’t. They don’t have any data about this place.”

You snatched your gun and took a step back, sweat dripping down your chin.

“I don’t think it’s the mirrors– I don’t know, but there’s someone here! Don’t you hear them?”

You could barely hear a distant sigh. Then, loud contortion, and a tinge of blue that softly illuminated the ground.

Crap.

“Hide. Make sure nobody sees you. I’ll take care of it.”

“Don’t leave me again!”

The blue grew stronger, and even his voice was slightly altered as he stepped into the rift.

“Relax, you can hold out until the files are wiped.”

You couldn’t. That’s what you wanted to say. But the blue was promptly swallowed up and thus, it finalised Yoru’s journey into the other dimension.

You jumped and moved away further, your back pressing up against the wall with the Bulldog in your hand. Instead of holding it like a weapon, you resorted to hugging it for comfort. With every drop of adrenaline that filled your veins, everything Harbour taught you further dissipated. Hot flashes on your neck, your eyes darting to every section of the roof with each noise; you weren’t ready.

Nobody was supposed to be here.

You took a deep breath, muttering a few repetitive phrases in Tagalog in an attempt to reassure yourself. You’ll be fine, right? You will be. Even the brief stated that your partner will take care of everything over your head. All you have to do is wait. Besides, how couldn’t you trust Yoru? His actions spoke louder than anything else, and you knew that he’d protect–

You jumped once the elevators let out a loud ding, the doors sliding open and allowing the light to accentuate two looming silhouettes. Neither of them sported any features that reminded you of Yoru. Not their hair, not the spikes, nothing.

You’ll be fine, you thought, desperate for any hint of reassurance.

You silently moved towards a pitch black area, everything obscured by the shadows, only interrupted by a single radianite crate that sat inconspicuously right across from the computer. Then, you hid behind it.

“Look, look, there’s a hole here!”

A feminine voice called out. And just from the accent, the slight gruffness of it, you knew it was Raze. Her partner said something else, but your mind hyper focused on the nearing footsteps, your clammy hand tightly clutching your weapon.

Then, she stopped, taking a deep breath.

“Do you… Do you smell that?”

Their partner walked in, their tall silhouette growing more visible from where you hid with each step.

“Guns up.”

Your breathing hitched, and you pushed yourself further onto the wall, relying on the crate to protect you. You hadn’t noticed it, but your right hand was seeping a dangerous amount of poison.

“The computer, it’s on! Wait, let me get a closer look.”

“Raze, be careful. I’ll cover you.”

She rushed up to the computer and immediately set down her Vandal, reading what was on the screen. After almost twenty minutes, it had only gotten up to ten percent. Then she tugged on her colourful hat in irritation.

“Bah, eu não posso trabalhar com esse cheiro estúpido,” <Bah, I can't work with this stupid smell,>‎

God, you couldn’t focus.

There was this horrible stinging in your chest, and you couldn’t breathe properly no matter how much you tried. Thoughts of your incoming death warped your frame of mind, and with each passing second, you were more and more convinced that this is it.

You were going to die.

Despite the anguish, you worked to fix your posture and aim at Raze’s head, struggling to keep a steady hold with how horrible you felt. Finger on the trigger, just one push, and she’d die before you could.

“GET DOWN!”

One called out, before loud gunfire rang out from far away, coupled with a deafening string of vivid distortion. Though you pulled the trigger, Raze already had her gun in her hand and rushed across the room, unable to hear or see you from the ruckus outside.

Then, the radio cracked in your ear, wincing under the loud gunshots that whizzed by Yoru’s cheek.

“A/N, hide until the transfer’s done, I have this under control.”

You wanted to speak. You wanted to respond. You wanted to say something, anything. But you couldn’t bring yourself to move. Under the command of your primal instincts, you pushed yourself against the wall once more, staring at the ground in shock.

All you could hear were your palpitations, and your other senses were clogged up by way more than you could possibly process.

Yoru, on the other hand, was aggravated by the situation.

They ensured that the mirrors had no idea about this place’s existence. Hell, the entire reason you even came here was to take away anything that they could go off of. Yet, here they were, and he knew you couldn’t do anything. In this situation, you were useless, he thought, shoving his hand into the rift and taking out a flash.

With Sova blinded, he peeked just enough to be able to gun him down, yet remained concealed from Raze’s shots. Fatuous, they only dug through the pillar he hid behind.

They were to be killed under Brimstone’s orders.

Then, with another flash, he peeked, eyes widening once he saw her rush towards the area you were hiding in. Damn it.

Yoru stepped out, gun in hand, rapidly thinking of a way to get her out and keep you concealed. But Raze had a different idea. It didn’t matter if she was going to die, all she needed to do was stop the files from being deleted.

He stopped the moment he heard a number of familiar beeping, ones you didn’t recognise. All without exposing herself, her bright orange bomb was promptly rolled towards the computer, ticking down. Yoru’s eyes widened.

Then, the air stopped.

❤ฺ·。

The process was interrupted. But it wasn’t yours, it was the computer he had been working on, now completely destroyed. Now, they relied on knowing where your progress had stopped. It’s not like it was an easy thing to find out either, not when the entire area you were hiding in had been completely engulfed in piles upon piles of concrete.

Yoru coughed and waved the debris away, taking a few steps back to breathe properly. And there, he could see that the floor above had tumbled down on where you were.

For the first time, he panicked.

“A/N– A/N, where are you?!”

He immediately called out, tucking away his Sheriff and approaching the dilapidated section you were in. Yoru prayed that you weren’t dead. But your lack of response made that contingency highly possible.

“A/N!”

No response. No time to waste, either. He quickly got to work on getting to where he knew you were. Forced to follow the strong unpleasant scent he really wanted to get away from, he had to find you.

Yoru couldn’t find a way to get through the stacks of concrete. The idea to simply go to the floor above you and jump down popped up in his mind, but then, how would he make it back out? He couldn’t get you through the teleporter.

Then, he found a small opening around the constricted corner, immediately slipping a teleport through and allowing it to make its way inside.

He promptly tore through the rift and stepped back just in case anything would fall through. But thankfully, nothing did, and from what he could see, it was safe enough for him to step through.

And step through he did, the entrance sewing itself shut from behind as he observed the area from the other side. To his left was a pool of blood that increased by the second. He was surprised, but…

“A/N, where the hell are you?!”

He exclaimed and took out his gun, immediately looking around just in case it was Raze who made it. Stepping through the boxes, he found the computer sitting just across from him, the screen glowing a blinding shade of white. And next to it was…

You.

Curled up into a ball, hugging your knees, eyes wide open and locked on the ground.

He hid his weapon and approached you, taking a deep breath. Yoru made no attempt to hide his annoyance as he looked down on you, waiting for you to stand up at the sight of him.

“Let’s go, they’re both dead. Are the files gone?”

Then, he looked back at the screen, noticing that the percentage had jumped up to ninety percent in forty minutes. But there was naught of an answer from you. Yoru, concerned, met your gaze. But you still didn’t look back at him.

“Hey, you there?”

…

Nothing.

He moved in front of you and got on one knee. But even then, your eyes were locked on the ground, as if you didn’t acknowledge he was there. Only now did he notice that you were shaking violently, coupled with your extremely inconsistent breathing. It bordered on hyperventilation, but you’d suddenly hold your breath for way too long. No, it’s not that you didn’t acknowledge his presence, you just didn’t see him.

Yoru’s gaze softened, and so did his posture. He could feel your alarmingly high palpitations just from getting near you.

“Can you hear me?”

It took you a second to even notice what looked like a massive lump of blue in front of you, the various shades and intricate details of it too overwhelming to comprehend.

You stared at him for a few seconds, liquid dripping down your right hand. Being so close to you, the poison’s effects on him made him both dizzy and despondent, but he knew he couldn’t leave you like this.

“I– I think I’m-” you gasped, “I’m dying, I’m dying– I, I think–”

“Hey, it’s fine, they’re gone. You’re safe.”

“I’m dying, I’m dying, Yoru, I’m–” you shook your head, struggling to breathe, “I’m going to die,”

“I’m with you. It’s okay.”

It’s not like it’s anything new. Yoru saw you panic before. Multiple times. But this wasn’t you mumbling while clutching your temples like you usually did, no. This was different.

You met his gaze, taking note of his tone. You didn’t know what it was, but there was an unfamiliar air of benevolence that threatened to extinguish your panic.

“A– are we– are we going to die? Are we going to die?”

He shook his head, slow enough for you to grasp what he meant.

“No, we’re safe.”

“Are we going to die?”

“No.”

You huffed, taking in a sudden gust of air. So sudden, it felt like an ice cold knife plunged your lungs.

“I, I can’t, I can’t– my arms, I– I can’t feel the– I can’t feel my arms.”

Yoru stared at you for a few seconds. Then, your hands, the clear poison allowing it to glimmer as it dripped down to the already soaked ground. He hesitated.

“If you want, I can hold them.”

…

You nodded repetitively, even after his fingers slowly intertwined with yours. Now, with his touch, you could finally feel the hands that were attached to you, and it helped ground you back to reality. Of course, it still wasn’t enough to take the horrifying sense of doom away. That, and the terrible heaviness in your chest.

It felt like you were having a heart attack. But for some reason, you just couldn’t muster up the words to tell him what was happening, not when your mind repeated only a select few phrases and focused on death so much.

“Are we going to die?”

“No, no. We’re fine.”

You stared at him for a few seconds, before turning your gaze back to the coarse ground. It felt like your eyes were about to pop out of your skull with how wide you had your lids open.

“Take a deep breath, okay? I’ll help you.”

You nodded and met his gaze, sweat dripping down your chin. Yoru, seeing this, wasted no time. He took a deep, slow breath, and you watched him diligently, like an oncoming explosion.

“One,”

Then, Yoru exhaled slowly,

“Two. Like that. Now, follow me,”

Just as Yoru repeated the first step, you followed along, taking a deep and shaky breath, one that stopped halfway through.

“One,”

He then exhaled. But this time, your breathing was only slightly more consistent, but the panic that stabbed at you like demons made it all the more difficult to focus on him.

“Two. Again, okay?”

You nodded, tightly clutching his hand in an effort to distract yourself from the situation. Though he winced at the strength of your hold, he didn’t let it derail from what the main objective was. Not the firm embrace, not the harrowing scent that sent a painful sensation across his head.

Coupled with how close he was, the discomfort only grew.

Both of you repeated the process. And since you were incredibly focused on getting your breathing back in order, with his help, you managed to gain a small amount of your rationality back; enough to remember that you were on a mission. You remembered panicking at the sight of Raze’s bomb. And with one swipe, it all came tumbling down.

“Yoru, I–”

You turned your gaze elsewhere, dread still bleeding into your voice.

“Can we… Can we leave? I– I can’t stay here anymore.”

He stared at you for a moment. Then, the computer, noting the progress. Ninety five percent.

…

“Sure. Let’s go.”

He helped you stand up and turned to the pile of cement, already forming a plan on how to clear a way for you.

#valorant #x reader #fanfiction #yoru x reader #valorant fanfiction #yoru #female reader #yoru x f reader #yoru x female reader #valorant yoru #valorant x reader #valorant yoru x reader #valorant yoru x f reader #valorant viper

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loopy777 · 4 months

Note

The new “I Am Zuko” book implied that him and Mai met at Ember Island as kids and soon after became childhood sweethearts. What are your thoughts on this new canon Maiko crumb?

For easy reference, I found the page in question. And for posterity, here's the quote:

Something else I learned about was love. Azula's friend Mai and I had known each other as kids when my family vacationed at a beach house on Ember Island. My journey took me back to that island, and back to Mai.

It might be adding a few complications to the history we had before. Not that complications are bad!

The previous uncomplicated lore, as referenced directly in this quote, was that Mai had always been Azula's friend, and so we had all assumed that either Mai was a designated playmate for Azula or else they met at school. Either way, Zuko had to meet Mai through Azula, usually assumed to be a playdate visit of some kind. It's notable, though, that Mai was always said to be roughly a year older than Azula and Ty Lee both, so either Mai was one of the older kids in that class, or there were other circumstances that put Mai into their orbit.

Now, we could still keep that aspect prioritized if we want; Zuko could have met Mai because Azula brought her friend(s) along on an Ember Island vacation. However, I don't think that's what's being implied by this quote. "[We] had known each other as kids" doesn't seem to suggest a first meeting; it sounds more like an ongoing relationship. And if Mai is already Azula's friend, then Zuko's and Mai's interactions surely aren't going to just be limited to Ember Island. So the implication is that Zuko knew Mai this way before Azula got involved.

'The Beach' gives us flashbacks to Zuko's fond memories of the place (and here's where it gets awkward with this new info, as I'd expect Mai to be part of those flashbacks, despite the focus on his family), but the only ones we can confirm as taking place on Ember Island itself seem to show Zuko as a baby:

The others, showing an older Zuko, take place in some kind of thick grassy area that doesn't look like any parts of the island we were shown. So, maybe baby!Zuko and baby!Mai were tots when they met. Zuko is 1-2 years older than Mai, so we are talking babies babies, not fan-speak for someone younger than 17. Yet Zuko at least remembers these moments (if we take the flashbacks as his literal memories), so maybe we can't go by the art on that. Maybe it's metaphorical and his baby-ness is just to show his youth and innocence. But I doubt Mai would be old enough to remember such a thing. And maybe that's okay, since the "I Am Zuko" book is very obviously from his POV, so his memories are the only ones we can go by, anyway.

But, again, if we go by what's implied in the language of "[we] had known each other," they weren't just babies playing next to each other in the sand while barely old enough to comprehend each other's existence. They must have been older. But if that's the case, then where was Azula in all this? Well, Zuko is 2-3 years older than her and Mai is roughly a year older than her, so perhaps Azula was too young to be concerned about other kids at that point or otherwise not interested in being social.

So the implication of those 22 words I have spent six paragraphs and two pictures (so far) analyzing is that Zuko and Mai had a real childhood friendship which predates Azula's involvement. Zuko has 'priority' in the matter of Mai over his sister, which ties neatly to who Mai eventually sides with his over Azula.

But does that undermine the existing narrative? That Mai, at the Boiling Rock, performed this great romantic act of courage and defied her dangerous master for this boy who taught her the power of hope again? If she was always truly Zuko's friend, does that make her act weaker?

I don't think so, myself.

I think it fits neatly with the idea of Azula competing with Zuko at every available opportunity, as influenced by their father and Fire Nation culture. Azula eventually saw something Zuko had -- a friend -- and decided to take it from him. Either Zuko didn't put up a fight or lost that battle. And Azula proceeded to lord her victory over him by having his former friend trailing behind her like a servant. Even when Mai and Zuko started a romance, Azula continued to maintain control, as shown off by the picnic scene where she orders Mai away with a veiled command and gets secret side-eye from Mai in return.

It's a handy little way to explain Zuko's own lack of visible friends. Maybe he didn't bother trying to make such connections with other people after Azula stole one of his first friends. It's also a convenient little excuse for how Azula pulled in a girl about a year older into her friend circle; they don't need to be in the same classes at the academy because Azula already knew Mai through Zuko.

And Mai clearly gave in to this little conflict between Zuko and Azula, so her later showing the courage to stand with Zuko at the critical moment still has the power of a good character arc. I don't think it makes her arc stronger, but neither do I think it weakens it. It just adds a little more texture, which of course is always welcome to shippers and fanfic-writers.

It does raise the question, though, of why Zuko had to meet Mai on Ember Island when she lives across the street from him. But it's not anything insurmountable, as her family is clearly depicted as on the rise when we're first introduced to them in 'Return to Omashu,' so perhaps they were rich enough to visit Ember Island but didn't yet live near the palace or even in the Caldera. Perhaps their arrival in the capital, and Mai entering the Academy, is what prompted Azula to make her move and steal Zuko's friend. If Mai spent the formative years of her childhood elsewhere, it would explain a little more why she was so bored that she taught herself throw knives. Azula tends to make lives interesting, I would think.

So there we go. One page in a Little Golden Book gave us all those thoughts. Not a bad investment.

However, I doubt we'll see any further explanation or acknowledgement of any of this in official fiction. From the quotes we've gotten, the Avatar Studios folk and especially The Mike and The Bryan seem to favor a loose continuity that isn't getting hung up on the details.

But this is certainly something us fans can run with. I'm already brainstorming ideas for some way to make use of this in a comedic fanfic. ;)

#zumai #maiko #zuko #mai #mai avatar #mai and zuko

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deafeninggardenerpanda · 1 year

Text

sh🌟p update is LIVE hello

welcome a couple new additions, i have these new rainbow acrylic magolor charms which i'm super happy with, and pin badges/buttons, with preexisting art from my other charms on them, as a sort of cheaper alternative for people. i also got a restock of my existing meta knight charms, which i ran out of last week, if anyone was looking forward to that. as usual i would appreciate if people checked it out if interested!

🌟 https://www.etsy.com/shop/DeafeningGardePanda 🌟

other notable shop updates, under the cut:

the b-grades listing is no more. b and c grades have now been absorbed into their respective listings. apparently most people don't look around at a shop's other listings when buying, so people kept missing that there were b-grades in the first place. hopefully this will lead to them getting sold now. unfortunately this has the side effect of making everything look way cheaper than it is, however, because et//sy will have the cheapest option on your listing appear as the default price before you click on the listing. no sorry i regret to inform you the morpho/galacta charms are Not $2 each lmao

speaking of b-grades, i went and took new pics of all of them. if anyone was on the fence about them before because i didn't provide enough pictures, lo and behold b-grade pictures galore. this meta knight restock i received ended up having my highest defect rate ever (which sucks, but it happens) so i have a lot of them to get rid of. again, if anyone doesn't mind a few dents or white marks and loves a couple bucks off their order, please take a look!

some eagle eyed folks might notice there's a design in the pins that isn't one of my preexisting charms. crowned magolor is a different thing that is in production (or just finished production a few days ago, actually), though it'll be probably a good 2-3 months before it goes up in the shop for reasons anyways. that one will be its own full charm too eventually

anddd last thing. anyone who orders might get a freebie test pin in their order. it's not a promotion or anything i just have a ton of these things i practiced with that i can't sell. the only issues with them are they were scaled too big or theyre Very off centered. enjoy if you receive one

#kirby #magolor #my art #dgp merch adventures

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1moreff-creator · 10 months

Text

Trying to figure out the Ace "murder" method

Hey, it's me again!

Seeing the great reception to my Arei murder theory (which, in case you missed, has an important second version (adult warning for Arei's BDA) and a less important third post, and beyond), I decided to try and figure out a method for the Ace murder attempt from episode 6. That and I have a sorta friendly theory rivalry going on with thebadjoe-

Seems like a fun challenge. Let's get into it!

Truth Bullets

Before the murder:

After:

1- Ace's body and wounds: Ace's body is sitting against a wall, slumped over. His neck has what seem to be three slice-type wounds across the front. These are the only visible wounds we know of. His face is angry, but this being Ace, it'd be weirder if it wasn't.

2- Bloodstain on the wall: There is a faint bloodstain just behind Ace's neck. Notably, this is the only trace of blood outside of Ace and the wires.

3- Lone wire: Because I clearly didn't have enough thinking about ropes and pulleys in the other murder, this one involves a wire! That's practically just a sharp rope! Notably, there is blood around a huge chunk of the middle of the cable, and a bit on one of the sides.

4- Wire taped to the fan: There is another piece of wire, wrapped around and taped to the broken ceiling fan. There is blood on the end of the wire not connected to the fan. The roll of tape used is right there. Fun fact, the tape actually dissappears from the background in the middle of the investigation, as pointed out by thebadjoe. Eden took it. This has more to do with the other murder than this one, but it's something to consider.

5- Broken fan: The fan on the right (door view) is broken, and on the ground.

6- Moved benches: Two benches have been moved from their original position. The one on the left is just moved to the side, while the one on the right is toppled over next to Ace. Notably, it's under the broken fan, meaning it must have toppled over before the fan got there.

7- Stool: There is a stool.

I have genuinely no idea where the hell this thing came from. It wasn't in any of the second floor rooms, or any of the first floor rooms we've seen. Was it in storage?

??????????????????

Hey, how fucking far did they drag this thing?! I have to imagine it was somewhere else, as there are actually a few doors which have never been opened, such as in the laundry room.

Whatever, no one cares. There's a stool, let's live with that.

8- Broom: There is a broom. I really hope they didn't get this from storage as well.

9- Toppled over weight rack: The weight rack has been moved closer to the... lifting bench thing, and now lay sprawled across the floor. Yeah, I got no idea about gym terminology.

10- Isolated weights: There are two small weights off to the side. Yep, they sure do exist.

11- Non-functioning fan: The fan on the left isn't moving (I know you can't tell from the picture, but trust me on this). This is especially strange, as we see the same fan moving the next day when Teruko and Rose go to the gym, despite the other fan still being gone.

12- Clean pull-up bar: The tape which was around the pull-up bar since the first day the second floor opened has disappeared.

13?- ???: So, uh, I got no idea what's going on in this general area. Apart from the bench press bar apparently disappearing, there seems to be a whole ass chunk of a mirror missing, which makes absolutely zero sense. It almost looks like someone took a bite off the damn thing, but I don't think anyone here eats glass, not even MonoTV. I imagine this is an animation error, but I'll point it out anyways in case it's somehow important.

14- Rose's account: During her painting session with Nico, her turpentine went missing.

15- Teruko's account: "[Ace] stayed unconcious for much longer than can be explained by blood loss or asphyxiation." Teruko believes this means Ace was likely knocked out with Rose's turpentine. Now, why she believes this when turpentine inhalation cannot cause unconciousness, only vomiting and nausea at worst, is beyond me. But since no one ever corrects her, I believe turpentine just... works differently in the DRDT universe.

16- Banging noise: Shortly before Eden and Teruko entered the crime scene, they heard a strange banging noise which came from the gym, followed by a clattering sound. This noise is... definitely strange, and in fact, I struggle to say what exactly it was. Since it doesn't match anything perfectly, I guess it must either be the weight rack toppling, or the fan falling. Also, this noise must have been caused by Nico, as no one else ran out of the gym afterwards.

17- Nico's missing cloak: Nico's usual cloak (that's what it's called, right?) is nowhere to be seen. Where the hell it went is a fantastic question, but the fact they don't have it in the first place could mean a lot of different things. Also to note, Nico doesn't have any blood on them.

I believe that about covers it. Let's see what we can manage. Also, I apologize in advance if it seems like this isn't very structured, I'm doing the best to explain my reasoning step by step.

What was Nico doing?

This may seem like an odd question to start with, but it's actually one which gives way to one of the most fundamental truths of the crime. One which I need to establish before getting anywhere in terms of theorizing. No, I'm not about to claim Nico didn't try to murder Ace, It's something else.

The answer seems obvious at first: they were clearly killing Ace, right? Well, not so fast. Nico was standing quite far from the body, yet holding a wire covered in blood. It almost looks like they just stumbled into an already established crime scene and were just investigating. Some claim this means Nico wasn't the one who set up most of the crime, but we have to remember this line:

Charles: But did you not intentionally try to make a serious attempt on Ace's life? Answer honestly.

Nico: Y... Yes...

Nico admits to, at some point, having tried to kill Ace. Of course, this isn't conclusive, but there is actually something else which makes me believe Nico might be the sole culprit of this almost-murder. A piece of evidence I haven't seen anyone mention in detail before.

The isolated weights.

What's the issue with this weights? Well, there are three truths which make them particularly strange.

1- The fact they're isolated means they were likely involved in the murder method.

2- They are decently far from any other piece of evidence.

3- They are neatly stacked on top of each other.

The fact they're neatly stacked means someone put them like that intentionally, yet they were clearly involved in the murder method. However, if they were involved in the method, how are they this far from everything else?

Well, let me answer those questions by raising others in return. Why is Ace so far from the wires, and why was Nico holding one of them? Why are the weights the only thing in the room which seem to be placed intentionally, when everything else is all over the place? When did Nico lose their cloak? What did they do to make that banging noise?

All these questions lead me to one answer. Nico wasn't actively trying to murder Ace when Eden and Teruko entered the scene, they were cleaning the crime scene. This could include moving Ace's body around, screwing around with the wires in a way which broke the fan, and, the important part, instinctively stacking the weights on top of each other. Maybe because Nico was getting bothered by the general mess of the room, or something like that (I know I would try to put some order in the room if I was nervous), and the weights were the easiest things to move around.

Whatever the reason Nico had for moving the weights, the point is, they did. This movement clearly didn't have anything to do with the actual method, as again, the weights were pretty far from everything, so it seems to me like they were just sorta "cleaning". And the reason everything else is in disarray is because they weren't done when Teruko and Eden got there.

Of course, you may be unconvinced. You may have questions like "why didn't Nico check Ace was dead dead?". But I promise, this will all make more sense as I explain further, so for now, let's assume Nico was cleaning the crime scene.

What does that mean? It means the position of most of the objects in the room could have changed between the time the attack was carried out, and the moment Teruko and Eden entered the gym.

With this possibility in mind, let's take a deeper dive into some of the evidence.

Two Wires on a Bird

(Wait, that's not how the song-)

Now, as you may remember, there were two pieces of wire in the gym; one by itself, and one taped to the fan. A lot of people assume these two were pieces of the same wire, which was broken when the fan went down, probably.

However, I do not believe this is the case. Remember, these wires are metal. From what I could find, their black color could imply they may be aluminum or iron, for example. These have, scientifically speaking, a fuckton of tensile strength. You would need a force of no less than an elephant stampede to break that with tension alone. They can be broken, quite easily with enough effort and tools, but not easily snapped.

No, I believe the answer is much simpler. There were always two wires; there was never an unintentional breakage. If these two things were ever one solid piece of wire, the would-be-murderer must have separated them before they set up their scheme, with whatever they could find. Maybe there could be tools in storage? Not too important.

But, beyond stealing the turpentine, is there really any evidence the killer really thought the method through with that much anticipation? After all, there is this line:

Veronika: Is this what you were envisioning when you tried to kill Ace? That the trial would happen like this, but with Ace instead of Arei dead?

Nico: I didn't... I never thought about it... I...

If Nico is the sole culprit as I'm claiming, doesn't that line mean there wasn't much forethought on Nico's part?

Don't worry, I'll explain that line later. For now, let me show you that the almost-killer absolutely planned the method in advance.

Broken Fans, Broken Hearts

One of the evidence pieces which confused me the most at first was, without a doubt, the non-functioning fan on the left. Why the hell isn't it moving? It's not the other fan falling, as we see the fan on the left working independantly the next day. Clearly, something happened which broke this fan, and it may have broken the other one as well.

Now, I looked through Google to see how ceiling fans work, see if I can figure something funky out. As a quick and oversimplified explanation, they run a current to create magnetic force which moves a rotor which moves the blades. From this, I thought of maybe using magnets to screw them up, but there aren't any magnets we know of in DRDT. I looked into Nico's laser pointer, but that also went nowhere. Despite the lack of evidence of its use, J's remote was the only thing I could think of for a while.

That is, until I realized one fundamental truth:

I'm an idiot.

The answer is much, much simpler. And it comes from one important question. Why is the tape on the fan facing the ceiling?

Most people, myself included, see a stool, tape, and tape on a fan, and assume the killer used the stool to reach the fan and put the tape there. But the problem is, that would only allow you to place the wire on the underside of the blades. And I'm pretty sure the fan wouldn't do a cartwheel in midair to land upside down.

No, what the tape's position implies is that the killer had access to the upper side of the fan's blades. This means they were likely able to bring the fans down before the murder, and put them back later. However, it's very likely they wouldn't be completely able to fix them, explaining why the left one isn't moving.

I'm not sure how they'd do that, and it sorta relies again on tools from storage, but it doesn't quite matter. There's no point in taping a wire to a fan unless you want it on the fan, aka close to the ceiling, so the killer must have put them back. They likely did this way before the murder, though that raises the question of why the tape would still be there in that case. I do have an explanation, but it'll have to wait for now.

The fact the killer had this ability to take down and somewhat fix the fans makes the left fan's state trivial. They would just take it down to break it, like they did the fan on the right. Of course, the question is why.

I have two answers. The boring one is that the almost-killer thought having one fan moving while the other was broken would be suspicious, and would make Ace more cautious than just seeing both fans broken.

The more fun answer, but one I don't think makes much sense, is that breaking the fans could make the turpentine more effective. Keep in mind Teruko says it is inhaling the fumes from turpentine which can cause unconciousness, and the fans, moving the air around and stuff, would make it harder for the fumes to really be effective... somehow? Again, impossible to know from real life turpentine, as it doesn't work the same as in DRDT. There are a decent bit of inconsistencies with this answer, but eh. As long as Nico could conceivably believe it would help, they may do it. The killers don't have to always know exactly what they're doing.

Alright, Murder Time!

Now that you know how my brain interprets most of the evidence in the crime scene, it's time to get to the actual method. Just so you can get a taste of the insanity required to come up with something which is at least even slightly believeable, here's a highlight reel of the silliest ideas I seriously considered at one point or another!

-Using the broom to beat the shit out of a fan like a piñata.

-Putting the fan on the treadmill and making it run. Don't ask me how this would work.

-Creating a yoyo with the wire and the isolated weights. I almost wanted this one to be true.

-Creating a weird garrote thing with the wires and the weights.

Alright, got it out of my system. Let's actually start now.

The first thing we have to look at is the blood on the wires.

This is, hands down, the part of the crime which drove me the most insane. We need to somehow figure out a way to have blood on quite a bit of the end of the fan-wire, a huge chunk in the middle of the lone wire, and a bit on its right side as well. All of this, while only leaving injuries on the front of Ace's neck, and not the back.

The simplest way to do this would be to "drag" the bloody parts of the wire across Ace's neck, but the question is how to "dodge" the parts which aren't bloody. If you try to think about this for yourself, you're gonna notice this is a lot harder than it seems. The bloody part on the middle of the lone wire is long, but the one on the right is small. Additionally, you have to somehow figure out a way to bloody up the end of the fan-wire, which comes with the problem of "where the hell even is Ace to have his neck cut by this thing".

The first thing I figured out is that the end of the fan-wire was likely attached to the middle of the lone wire, the latter doubled over the point of contact.

(My art is back with a vengeance)

The lone wire could have even been tied around itself to triple over itself, if the length was still too long for the killer's taste. This would also help to explain the multiple injuries on his neck.

However, the problem with this is that goddamn little bit of blood on the right of the lone wire. It can't be solved by just dragging Ace a bit further, as there's a part of the wire which isn't bloody. This took me a while to figure out. In fact, at one point I was close to calling it quits, and just leaving that bit of blood unexplained.

But then, it came to me. A noose!

If the killer made a noose with the wire (let's assume that's possible), and Ace was dragged along the base of the noose, but not the noose itself, then the point of connection would leave a bloody part of the wire which would appear separated from the rest once you extended it out.

(The main takeaway from this "drawing" is the noose, don't worry if you don't exactly understand the triple over thing. After all, I'm not even sure it was actually used)

Of course, now we have to ask ourselves why in the hell is the killer making a noose, then having Ace's neck drag across the base of the noose. The first thing which comes to mind is putting the noose around something, something like the pull up bar. That's sorta the only object near the fan I could see this working with. And we know the other end of the wire must have been on the fan.

This all points me to a theory I was already cooking up beforehand. The killer may have used gravity as a weapon, letting Ace's body lean on the wire as it tenses and untenses to slowly slash at his neck. This is sorta the system I'm envisioning.

Obviously the drawings aren't to scale.

Now, if we miraculously (and it really would be a miracle) get this to work, it could explain those damn bloodstains that stumped me for hours. It could also explain the meaning of those isolated plates: if you manage to secure them to Ace's chest, they would weigh him down in such a way that his neck would press harder on the wire, causing more damage. I'll get to the way I believe it's possible the killer secured them later, but for now, this is the gist of my idea.

Now, there are a significant amount of questions and concerns you may raise just by seeing this, so let me address those.

The first concern you may have is the length of the wire system. Keeping in mind the fan-wire is atteched to the end of the blade, it would practically be impossible for this system to work if the fan spins all the way.

For the fan to actually spin automatically and not break anything, the "fan-out" position must exist only when the blade with the wire is as far away from the pull-up bar as possible. With how large the fan is, the end of the wire would be somewhat over the treadmills, maybe a bit closer to the door. The problem is, as the fan spins and the wire "tries to slack" (remember, Ace's neck pressing against it would mean it never fully slacks), it would end up practically touching the floor by the time the blade gets closer to the pull-up bar. Not to mention the issue of Ace's weight possibly fucking with the fan's automatic spin. In other words, it's impossible to create this system if the fan is spinning on its own.

...The sharper of you will have already realized why that argument doesn't work. It's not a problem, because the fan isn't spinning on its own. We established it earlier, remember? The fan was likely broken before the murder attempt even formerly began. That means the fan is spinning manually.

Perhaps that piñata idea wasn't so far off after all, we just needed a gentler touch. Using the broom and probably the stool, the almost-killer would be able to make the fan move on their whim. And this means there's no reason for them to make the fan do full revolutions. If they just move the blades back and forth a little bit, they would be able to "straighten" and "slack" the wire system however they wanted, and wouldn't need the system to extend all the way to the other side of the room. In fact, they would actually want the system to be as short as possible while still reaching from the fan to the pull-up bar, since that simplifies the positioning of Ace's body, as you'll see later.

But before we get to that, I have to answer something else. This method, you may have noticed, wouldn't exactly leave the deepest wounds, would it? I mean, it could definitively cause bleeding, but the wounds would likely be quite shallow, unless the wire is ultra sharp. It seems like a pretty bad murder system if it only leaves mostly superficial wounds.

Except, who told you the wounds weren't superficial? Remember, Ace didn't actually die from this. And although I'm no expert in anatomy, I believe any neck wound would be fatal if it's deep enough. Thus, whatever the method used was, it could only leave shallow wounds.

That still raises the question of why the killer would do this, but I'll get there. For now, let me give you a sneak peek: I believe the attacker knew Ace didn't die from the wire attack. Intriguing, right?

And if you're worried about the amount of blood being too much for shallow wounds, don't worry. As I said, I believe Teruko and Eden ran into the crime scene a while after the crime actually happened, so Ace must have been bleeding for a while. And I'm no forensic expert, but I believe people who are alive bleed faster than corpses, since the heart is still beating and all that. Essentially, there's a lot of blood only because Ace has been bleeding for a while.

Now comes the hardest part of the visualization, and frankly, the one thing which really makes me doubt whether or not this is possible. With the two benches found on the crime scene, you have to play jenga with them and Ace's body in a way which makes sure his head reaches the pull-up bar in the "fan-out" position, and which doesn't run into issues holding his body up in the "fan-in" position. Considering the height of the pull-up bar, I think the best way to do this would be placing the benches parallel to the wire, and Ace's body kneeling perpendicular to it. You might also want to put a space in between the benches for the knees to bend forward, but I'm not sure.

(Not to scale)

Again, I know this is hard to visualize, and probably harder to pull off, but I don't think it's completely impossible. If anyone has better ideas on how to put the benches, I'd love to hear it.

Now, the sharper of you would realize a problem. As Ace's body flops onto the wire, it's likely going to get pulled forward, but it would also likely slide down towards Ace's chest. That's a problem, since his wounds are only on his neck. However, I have a possible solution for this. You know how I said you could secure the isolated weight plates on Ace's chest to make him press harder onto the wire? Well, if you secure them high and well enough, with tape for example, they might be able to stop the wires from sliding down.

The unfortunate part of this is that we can't be sure if there was any blood on the weights, which there likely would be in this case, since Teruko didn't check them closely. But the bigger issue here is the tape itself: where'd it go?

Well, I'll answer that question with another question. How is there no blood on the floor? Under this method, gravity would make at least a fair bit of blood fall to the floor. There's no way Nico cleaned it up, so how?

Well, if you don't want a liquid to stain a floor, what can you do? You can drape something over the floor so that gets stained instead of the floor. And this is how I plan to explain Nico's missing cloak. Their cloak was draped over the floor in the place where the blood would fall, as to avoid staining the floor with blood. Nico later removed the cloak from the crime scene, possibly leaving it in the dress-up room or somewhere else for the time being.

Now, that sounds ridiculous. Why would Nico leave the crime scene so early? Is there any actual evidence they left at some point?

Well, actually, there is. It's the other place where blood should have been in this method. Since Ace's neck must reach the base of the noose, it would touch the pull-up bar and stain it with blood. Or rather, it would stain the tape on the pull-up bar with blood. The tape which is also missing.

Before.

After.

In fact, this missing piece of tape is extremely important evidence for my theory. The fact it's missing means the pull-up bar was involved, possibly being stained with blood. It also means the culprit took evidence out of the crime scene, which helps explain why Nico is missing their cloak. It also gives credence to the theory the killer taped the isolated weights to Ace's chest, since one missing piece of tape could imply two missing pieces of tape. And- hey! That's why the roll of duct tape is still there! They didn't need it for the fan, since that set up was likely done before the murder attempt as established earlier, so they must have used it somewhere else!

Oh yeah, it's all coming together.

And with this, as you've noticed, we've sorta already arrived at my conclusion on the culprit. Since I believe Nico's cloak was involved in the setup, but was later removed, I firmly assert Nico is the sole almost-murderer. After all, even if the killer knocked out Nico and put them in the crime scene or something, there would be no reason to discard their cloak, and if Nico took it out the gym after waking up, there's no reason to return until they tell someone else about the body.

At this point, I should also address the hidden quote I know is gonna be brought up. Like with every character, if you inspect element on Nico's page you get a hidden quote, which in their case is "why should I own up for the mistakes someone else made?". That makes it sound like they didn't do this, but keep in mind, Nico did confirm having attempted to kill Ace, so I don't think it makes sense for the mistake to be "tried to kill Ace". I actually think this line could be a lot darker. I think this line could imply Ace made the mistakes being referred to, and Nico feels as though they don't have to own up for that. Like, "Ace was the one who fucked around, I just made them find out". Though I am admittedly biased towards evil Nico interpretations, so I can't be sure. Also, this could be about something from another chapter entirely.

Now that we sort of have an idea of how the attack could have gone down, we have to start thinking of the clean up. Unfortunately, this part of the plan wouldn't leave many clues behind, so it's largely speculative. Also worth keeping in mind, I believe this started a while before Teruko and Eden even arrived at the second floor.

The first order of business is taking Ace's body out of the mechanism. They would need to gently let it lean on the wire until the fan wouldn't turn anymore, before quickly stepping off the stool and going over. I'll explain why they're so worried about the body later, but for now, trust me bro. They would push the body off the wire, moving the benches to maneuver better, but their movements are sort of sloppy. This results in the rightmost bench falling over, and when they push Ace up against the wall, they do so haphazardly, leaving behind a small blood stain behind his neck. This is unfortunately the only explanation I have for the bloodstain on the wall which still fits all the other evidence. I say unfortunately because it's a sorta odd explanation for something I would usually consider quite important, but I've had enough trying to explain the blood on the wires, I'm not gonna worry too much about this little thing.

After making sure the body is off the wire, Nico would want to take care of the most incriminating evidence first: their bloodstained cloak. They would probably roll it up into a ball to carry it, though I imagine they may wipe some of the blood off the wires as well. After all, it's the one piece of evidence which can be directly be linked back to them. Since they just took the body down, they would also pick up the evidence closest to them; the bloodstained tape on the pull-up bar and the tape and weights on Ace's chest. They decide to leave the weights in the gym for the time being, and carry out the cloak and the pieces of tape, likely leaving them somewhere else on the second floor. I think one of the changing rooms in the dress-up room is the likeliest spot, or the trash can. They were later planning on disposing of it in a better way, I imagine, but I don't think they wanted to leave the body alone too long, since as I said, they may have known Ace was alive.

Timeline-wise, it's hard to say how much time passes between Nico going out and into the gym, and the moment Teruko and Eden meet in the dress-up room. Especially because part of my other theory is that Eden was actually doing some stuff on the second floor at this time. So here's how I see it; when they return to the gym, they put the weights they had just sort of left there one on top of the other, probably move the stool a little, but most importantly, they start trying to figure out a way to take down the wire system. They initially try things like untying the noose or undoing the knot in the middle, but they're worried about blood getting on them or getting cut by the wire. This hesitation on how to take the wire system down is what explains the time difference between the start of their cleaning and the moment Eden and Teruko get there. I am deeply aware this isn't a very satisfying answer to that issue, but I don't think it's too outlandish, especially since Nico is clearly not in the greatest mental state.

Eventually, they decide they're not going to take the wire system down carefully. To avoid getting blood on themselves, the best way would be to rip out the entire system all at once. I imagine they looped the wire around the broom, and pulled hard in one direction. Do it well enough, and I believe both the noose and the knot between the wires would come undone. However, in doing this, Nico also accidentally knocked down the ceiling fan. This causes the banging noise Eden and Teruko hear.

However, Nico doesn't think anyone else is nearby, and thus doesn't worry about the noise. They just pick up the lone wire (by the parts which aren't bloody), which had flown towards them thanks to their broom trick, and stretch it out... because they felt like it. Yeah, I'm not really sure. But I know a lot of people do weird things to calm themselves when nervous, and Nico is not thinking straight. Fixing up the wire could be something they felt compelled to do without logical reason. I hope this makes sense to you as much as it makes sense to me. Regardless, this is what Teruko and Eden catch them doing. Nico runs away, and probably picks up their cloak on the way as to at least have the slightest argument for their innocence. Since the lone pieces of tape are there, Nico probably picks them up too.

That's basically it for what happened, though you may have noticed there is one piece of evidence I never mentioned. That being the toppled over weight rack. However, there's a pretty simple explanation for this, one I have to give credit to thebadjoe for. Essentially, it's possible the weight rack was moved by Ace to train. If he was bench pressing, it would make sense for him to bring the weight rack closer to the... bench press bench? You know what I mean. And then, when the killer attacked them with turpentine, the rack was toppled over in the struggle. There's unfortunately no way to confirm this, as in the ep 11 flashback, Ace is in the gym but the weight rack is not next to the bench press bench. This doesn't disprove anything; Ace could have just been doing literally anything else. But it unfortunately doesn't confirm anything either.

So, there we go! A series of events which more or less explains all the major evidence in the scene and is (hopefully) physically possible! The bloodstains on the wires were a major pain, to the point I will gladly take anything that explains them more or less satisfactorily, and the missing tape on the pull up bar convinces me I'm (hopefully) in the right track.

... Yeah, so there's still a problem.

Hey, OP, what the fuck?

So, once again my "method before motive" way of theorizing arrives at an extremely complicated system which seems to have no purpose at all. If the fan really is broken as I claim, then there's no way for this to be a remote murder, and a lot of this is just unnecessary. Like, why not just cut Ace's neck with the wires using your hands, the way God (MonoTV) intended? And what the hell did I mean when I said Nico started cleaning the crime scene despite knowing Ace was alive?!

So, here comes the most speculative part of my theory. The reason for the method. Initially, one would assume a system like this would be used to get away with the murder without being caught, like most murders in... well, murder mystery stories. However, remember that line I brought up before? The one where Veronika asks about the trial, and Nico claims to have never thought about it?

I think they're telling the truth. I don't think the purpose of the system is to get away with the murder at all.

And it all comes back to the concern I raised about superficial wounds. Like I said, this system seems odd because it wouldn't be able to cause anything but some shallow cuts. But, what if that's the point?

What if Nico designed this method specifically so it wouldn't kill Ace?

That sounds insane, but think about it. If Nico tries to cut Ace's neck with the wires just by using their hands, it's possible they would get over-excited and accidentally cut too deep, killing Ace almost instantly. If that's not what they want, then it would make more sense to set up a somewhat automatic system which runs less risk of cutting too deep. Maybe.

But, didn't Nico confirm they made a serious attempt on Ace's life, like they told Charles? Yes, but they weren't done.

I believe it's possible Nico wanted Ace to wake up after receiving his neck injuries. That way, he'd be weakened by the blood loss and the pain, but still concious when Nico actually killed them. Under this interpretation, Nico wanted Ace to die knowing Nico was stronger than him, not just by using turpentine and cheap tricks, but just in a straight up fight (though with the handicap of the injuries).

Is that too sadistic? Arguably yes, but we still don't know how far Nico's anger is capable of taking them. I'm probably biased since I am a Veronika kinnie at heart, whose love for a character only increases the more evil and fucked up they are. Still, trust me when I say I went insane trying to figure out any method which could explain the fucking bloodstains on those wires as well as everything else, and this one is the best one I've found so far. It's all I have, I gotta work the characters around it somehow, and this is the only way I can think of.

Nico waiting for Ace to wake up also answers a lot of the basic questions of what the hell was going on when Teruko and Eden entered. If Nico really made a serious attempt on Ace's life, why are they standing so far without confirming Ace is dead? Because they know he's not, and are waiting for him to wake up.

The biggest issues I see here (besides the sheer insanity of the idea) are:

-This method still really isn't that reliable at not killing. However, it doesn't have to be; Nico just needs to trust it more than they do their own hands. And the trust Nico has on their own hands could actually be very little knowing how insecure they is about a lot of things. Not a great argument, but it's there.

-If Nico didn't think of the trial at all, there's no reason for them to take the cloak and tape out of the gym. This is admittedly a much more pressing issue, since a lot of my theory hinges on them doing this. My best answer is that they were working mostly on autopilot. Not actively thinking of the trial, but still knowing in the back of their mind that they would have to hide they did this. It's not great, but it's an answer.

-We don't have evidence Nico even had another weapon on them. If Nico wanted to kill Ace after he woke up, they would have likely brought a weapon with them. However, counterpoint; we know they must have had at least one possible weapon, the turpentine bottle. It's a pretty shitty weapon, but break it open and it would be effective enough. Additionally, the fact we don't know where that thing is implies Nico could have been hiding another weapon, but I'm hesitant to claim this, because again, no evidence.

Overall, I think these holes aren't too big, and considering I'm expecting to get lots of things wrong here, I'm comfortable enough with my answer to put it out there for peer review.

Closing Argument

-During the afternoon, the culprit had to get two custom weapons for their plan. One, the turpentine, they stole from Rose during a painting session. The other, Hu's wire, they simply asked for with some vague excuse, as they had a good relation with her.

-Once they got the wire, they split it into two and went to the gym, a while before the victim arrived. They also brought a stepstool and a broom. With them, they took down the rightmost fan, and ductaped one of the wires' end to one of its blades. They managed to put the fan back up, with the wire hidden on top of the blades. However, the fan didn't spin anymore. The culprit also broke the other fan with a similar method, so as to not make the victim suspicious when they entered the gym.

-The culprit waited until the victim entered the gym for their regular nighttime exercise session, likely after feeding the fish in the relax room.

-The victim, Ace, wanted to do some bench pressing, so he brought the weight rack closer. They didn't notice anything amiss, until the culprit entered the gym.

-With a rag filled with turpentine (maybe; it's impossible to know how people in the DRDT universe would use turpentine as a sedative), the culprit ambushed Ace. Although there was a struggle which knocked over the weight rack, the culprit managed to get Ace to inhale enough turpentine to knock him out. Now, the culprit could have just killed Ace then and there, but that's not what they wanted. They wanted to prove themselves stronger than him, or simply to make them suffer for what he had done to them. In any case, they wanted him to be seriously injured, but not dead by the time the turpentine wore off. Since they couldn't trust their own impulses, they wanted to use a more hands-off method which would ensure Ace would be in serious pain, but not die until the culprit could make sure he felt it.

-Working quickly as nighttime approached, the killer used the broom and stepstool to spin the rightmost fan's blades so as to get the wire taped to it to fall down.

-They tied a noose around the pull-up bar with the other part of the wire. They possibly made the wire triple over itself, and attached the fan-wire to its middle. They also put the non-noose end under the noose on the pull-up bar, for extra stability. For Ace's body, they used the roll of tape to attach two small weights from the rack to Ace's chest.

-With the wire system now hanging slack, like a vine, between the fan and the pull-up bar, they moved the benches under it. The killer also wore a cloak, which they took off and draped over the floor around where they believed the blood would end up.

-They dragged Ace's body to the benches. They propped him up there on his knees, letting his neck press down onto the wire system, specifically a part of the fan-wire. Once they made sure he wasn't going to fall, they quickly made their way to the stepstool, grabbed the broom, and got on it.

-With the broom, they moved the fan's blades manually, not too fast, but with some strength. The wire system pressed hard on Ace's neck, starting to cut his neck as it straightened. Ace's head tilted as this happened, and he started to lean towards the pull-up bar. As his neck dragged over the rolled up lone wire, various shallow cuts opened in his skin. Ace's head touched the pull-up bar's tape, staining it and the base of the noose with blood.

-The killer then slowly allowed Ace's body weight to press on the wire as the fan slowly spun in that direction, the speed controlled by the broom. The wires didn't fall to his chest because of the weights, as well as the slow nature of the descent. His blood stained every spot of the wire his neck dragged across, including the end of the fan-wire.

-The culprit repeated this one or two times, enough to feel as though Ace was sufficiently hurt for their purposes, but not so much they felt he'd die before waking up.

-When they were done, they gently let Ace's body lean on the wire as far as the fan would allow, before dropping the broom and hopping off the stepstool.

-They quickly ran over to Ace, pushing him off the wire system before it could do any more damage to him. In doing this, the bench he was kneeling on fell over, and Ace's body slammed on the wall next to the pull-up bar. The culprit managed to keep him in a sitting position, but the impact with the wall had left a small bloodstain behind Ace.

-The culprit moved the benches a bit to maneuver better around the gym. They took the bloodstained tape off the pull-up bar, retrieved the weights and tape from Ace's chest, and got their cloak off the floor. They used the cloak to wipe a bit of the blood off the wire system, though since it was already covered in blood, some still remained. Not enough to drip off and make a noticeable change on the floor, though. The killer left the weights off to a side in the gym, and ran off with the tape and cloak. They likely hid it somewhere nearby, like the trash can in the hallway or the changing rooms of the dress-up room.

-They came back to the gym at around the same time Eden went to the second floor (this is related to my other theory, don't worry too much about it). They began waiting for Ace to wake up, but their desire for cleanliness guided them in the tense situation. They started trying to figure out a way to take down the wire system without risking injury and without getting blood on themselves.

-A few minutes later, as Teruko went to the second floor and met with Eden, the killer figured out a way to take down the system. They grabbed the broom and wrapped a clean part of the fan-wire around it, before pulling with all their might.

-Several things happened at once. The noose and knot in the point of connection came undone instantly, and the lone wire flew towards the entrance. However, the strength of the pull also took down the fan from the ceiling, making a loud banging noise which could be heard from the hallway.

-The killer didn't think there'd be anyone on the second floor at the time, so they just continued their clean up effort as they waited for Ace to awaken. They grabbed the lone wire by the non-bloody parts and stretched it out, just as Teruko and Eden entered the gym.

-Upon seeing the two girls, the culprit panicked. They dropped the wire and ran away, but still had the sense to quickly pick up their cloak and tape just in case.

-The culprit's plan was to wait until Ace woke up, and in his weakened and pained state, kill him with the bottle of turpentine or some other weapon they had brought with them. And they would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling girls!

-The missing cloak, paired with the suspicious lack of blood on the scene; the turpentine theft during a painting session with Rose; the motive to kill Ace in this manner; their actions and presence in the crime scene; all paired with an admission of guilt. The method shows only one person with the ability, opportunity and motive to attempt such a heinous murder: Nico Hakobyan, the Ultimate Pet Therapist!

Conclusion

Is this conclusion perfect? By no means. Nico's actions are still extremely erratic and hard to explain, not to mention how difficult it would be to physically get the method to work. However, it's an answer which I feel sufficiently explains all the evidence in the crime scene, which is shockingly difficult. Those damn bloodstains, man.

Still, I imagine I've gotten quite a few things wrong, so this is more a starting point than a final answer. I just think it's solid enough to put out there and get second opinions on it.

Thanks for reading all the way to end! I would give you a cookie, but I'm afraid it's impossible through a screen. Have a good day!

#drdt #danganronpa despair time #fanganronpa #drdt theory #nico hakobyan #ace markey #teruko tawaki #eden tobisa #i mean i technically mentioned them #evil nico my beloved #hope im not offensively wrong about anything #i support nonbinary rights #i also support nonbinary wrongs

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oletus-manors-log · 11 months

Note

eeeeeeeeeee hello i desire orphy crumbs so , can i send a letter in for a drabble / headcanon list for a pining over reader orpheus ? if you’re gonna go for the drabble , gender neutral afab reader please , please take your time with it even though i’m desperate for orpheus content

OBSERVER'S NOTE :

“ The novelist, you say? Hm... Interesting. I hope what I made brought justice as I didn't want to delay this much longer. Truth be told, I had contemplated having the reader pine over Orpheus, but him pining over them is much more funnier.

Am I slandering him? Perhaps. However, it's not like he can stop me, hehe! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the headcannons! (I also did both pining reader and in reverse because I love teasing both sides. Mutual pining, am I right?)”

Mutual Pining Headcannons for: Orpheus

Dear God, save this man.

Orpheus is not a hot mess. Well, usually he isn't. For many others, the man is built solely to intrigue those who try to figure him out— his identity is a mystery, but many don't seem to bite the bait due to his more... Inhumane counterpart.

Does he mind? No, not necessarily. He enjoys having to live in peace without people badgering him for what he is, and in that regard, he never saw the point of trying to have another interest in him.

... until now.

Seeing you was one thing, but dear God, he can be such a mess. He didn't knew why a novelist such as him would falter, but it was almost like you had him in his hands.

Just what are you? You seem to have an air of mystery, and yet he can read others like an open book. It was almost like your door has been locked, and he needed to find a way to open it.

And that intrigued him.

It started out small, actually. He found you interesting after a few matches. You could've been a veteran for your skills, and yet, as he spoke to you... You confided that you were not.

You were new, you told Orpheus. But he noticed that you were a quick learner— quick to pick up things that many in your shoes wouldn't be able to.

To many survivors, that seems as though you're tooting your own horn; you were bragging on how quicker you noticed those signs, how you didn't cower in fear or became stupidly headstrong like the others. To them, you acted haughty for saying such words.

But to Orpheus? He found it a breath of fresh air. A sort of answer that is so different from many, from those with many faces— and that is what hooked him to try and figure you out.

It proceeded on as normal, but you found yourself in the company of the ever elusive Novelist after that. He was always so hard to reach him, so difficult to find— and yet with you, he seem to miraculously turn up and be with you in your misadventures.

Even the other survivors, notably the Journalist and even the Entomologist, made comments to him on how he's forming such an attachment.

On how he— the myth of the man whose identity cannot be traced— was growing attached. To you.

Orpheus didn't believe it at first. He found you interesting, he said. Why wouldn't he be so intrigued with someone who is so different from the others?

It shot down the initial assumptions, yes, but it didn't mean it stopped many others from saying that he's growing a fondness for you. For you, as the other survivors never reached said level with him.

The Novelist was never close to many, but only for specific individuals. And even then, it was under a thin veil of courtesy.

But to you... Said courtesy has been an afterthought; and it was like he focused on what truly matters aside from it.

And after a night spent in an event, one that took of pictures with the Novelist, Journalist, and you in the frame... He realized it.

He... Was growing fond of you.

Nay, he was growing feelings for you.

He didn't knew if you noticed it, but after the fireworks has ceased and fizzled out, he began to try and do different approaches. To you, he still acted the same.

But to the others? He acted differently.

He began to write ideas, but it mostly revolved around you. He began to grow fond of them and write stories of such length— fantasies that has some part of your character in it.

Orpheus was the Novelist, no one can deny, but even they can tell just how smitten he got.

It was a slow build up, however, for he feared one thing:

Would you ever see him as a monster if you knew?

Oh, but what a fool he was. He didn't even knew the truth behind those simple interactions you two had, didn't he?

For him to realize that he has fallen for you, he has neglected to realize that you, too, have fallen for the Novelist.

It was a cliché of all time— two remarkable individuals in a manor chock full of morally questionable and dubious individuals, and yet even they can see the way you look at Orpheus.

After all, no one is spared or exempted from the matter of mystery. You were of no exemption, but perhaps that mystery from him enraptured you.

You always found him fascinating, hadn't you? To think that the elusive Novelist felt the same as you have, but no man can convince either of you to admit such feelings.

Orpheus may have a keen eye, but even he falls short to how you, too, have fallen for him.

For all of his flaws, his mistakes, his glory— you have grown fond of him, as he does to you.

“ Ah... I did not expect to see you again. Hm, perhaps you'd like to indulge me in my works? I'd like to see your perspective in this. ... Hm? Oh, this premise I'm writing is about a lovesick man... ”

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imtrashraccoon · 5 months

Text

Well here we are... The grand finale. Fair warning, this took me most of the day to write and is just under 4,000 words. It is rougher than I prefer but I am ultimately happy with it.

@scrambledmeggys Thank you so much for the prompt list! I had an absolute blast coming up with creative ways to spin them.

First Day, Previous Day, & Bonus One.

Day 30: Souls

Unfortunately, you had to travel through the MTT resort in order to get through the Core and then to the castle. You didn't think it would be so bad, so long as Mettaton himself wasn't there... Except, of course, he was waiting for you in the lobby.

The robot was rolling back in forth in front of the pair of double doors that lead into the Core. He had one set of his arms crossed while the other pair hung limply by his sides, giving off the picture of dejectedness but also impatience. There was no way past him without having a conversation, although notably there didn't seem to be anyone else in the rest of the lobby, not even the receptionist.

Both Papyrus and Sans seemed slightly irritated to see the robot but they didn't voice their annoyance out loud. They also understood that the only way past was to actually talk to the robot.

Mettaton looked up when you approached and you mentally prepared yourself to have to deal with his dramatics. It didn't help that your first meeting had gone just about as poorly as was possible. But, he didn't say anything at first and actually seemed...upset?

"So you made it past the ambush afterall," he commented. His voice was slightly quieter than usual but it still had that harsh, robotic quality to it.

When Papyrus merely crossed his arms and grumbled under his breath, Mettaton sighed and ran a hand over his LCD screen. "I suppose I should first apologize for how our previous encounter ended. I understand I was out of line and my questions were rather inconsiderate. So, I am sorry, to both you and Papyrus."

You nodded slowly, "I accept your apology but a simple sorry doesn't make us friends. I am not against being friends by any means, but you'll have to forgive me for not immediately forgetting all of what you said."

"And you shouldn't. What I did was completely selfish and I can see now that it had farther reaching consquences than I had ever intended..."

"What The Hell?!" Papyrus growled and took a step forward in a threatening manner. "You Were The One Who Told The King?!"

Mettaton held up his hands and backed away slightly. "It wasn't my original intention... All I did was briefly feature you two on my gossip show. I really didn't mean for the King himself to notice, especially with how well you'd been staying hidden."

Papyrus clenched his fists so tightly, you could audibly hear his leather gloves squeak in protest. "You Did Enough... Do Not Think I Was Bluffing Either, You Walking Piece Of Scrap!"

Mettaton seemed to hang his head, even if it was basically impossible with how his body was so rectangle shaped, and let out a robotic sigh. "Again, I am sorry..." he muttered. "If you'll let me try, I will do anything to make amends."

Your ears picked up at the sound of that and you moved to stand next to Papyrus. Putting a gentle hand on his arm, you smiled up at him sweetly before turning to address the robot again.

"Anything? What exactly can you do to make up for everything at this point?" you asked calmly.

Mettaton seemed to perk up slightly and he rolled forward again. "If you are to have any luck with convincing the King to make peace with the humans, your chances will be more likely to succeed if public opinion of you is positive. Alphys has already agreed to help me with finding the needed footage, but I am asking for your permission to address the rest of Monsterkind on your behalf."

"That's...actually really helpful of you. I'd appreciate it if you would as we could use all the help we can get right now."

Before either Papyrus or Sans could protest, Mettaton snapped his fingers and seemingly out of nowhere, at least a dozen monsters appeared. They all carried various pieces of sound or recording equipment and you realized Mettaton must have been serious if he had had an entire film crew already waiting.

"Thank you, darling. I won't let you down again." Turning to the crew, Mettaton's voice returned to his usual volume. "We're up next folks! Get ready for a special announcement, we go live in one minute!"

While the film crew began bustling around setting everything up, you and the brothers took the opportunity to leave while everyone was distracted. As soon as you'd gone through the double doors, the chatter from the monsters faded and was replaced by a consistent low humming sound. The air felt almost charged with energy and you now knew that this was the Core - the source of all power in the Underground.

You weren't here for sight seeing though, as much as you would've liked to tour the facility and see how it worked. That would have to be for another day, provided everything went well with the King and breaking the barrier anyways.

To say you were nervous was an understatement. You had only heard evil things about the King so far. He had been the ruler of Monsterkind before even the Great War that had sealed them away down here. While he'd always ruled with an iron fist, he'd apparently only grown crueler after both the loss of his children and then his wife leaving him. In his rage, he'd declared war on Humanity and mandated that all humans who entered the Underground were to be killed and their souls captured. His original intention had been to break the barrier and wage war until every last human was dead.

But, you were also hopeful. It had been several decades since the last human soul was captured and it seemed that many Monsters had grown tired of the one-sided conflict. With a little luck, you might be able to make a good case for why the war should end. You had your friends behind you as well, which helped ease your nerves a little.

You'd finally reached the Last Corridor and you felt ready to face the King. A bit of a somber mood had settled over the group by this point and rather than continuing onwards, Sans paused for a moment at the end of the hallway.

"Is something wrong?" you asked quietly.

He shook his skull and turned to look at you properly. "nah, i was just thinkin' is all. things could've turned out a lot different, but i'm glad we took the time to get to know you and the kid." His permanent smile widened and you smiled at him in return.

Papyrus nodded soberly, "Agreed, I Regret Nothing, Save That I Wish We Could Have Met Under Different Circumstances."

You couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Maybe, although I'm glad it turned out this way. I've learned so much this last year and I don't regret a thing."

"Me neither. It was scary at first but I can't remember ever having this much fun! I love all of you," Frisk signed. They smiled warmly at everyone and you nuzzled their head affectionately.

"I couldn't put it any better." Turning to the brothers, you smiled and asked, "Shall we go?"

They nodded and Papyrus put his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer to himself. You nearly lost your balance because you were still holding Frisk, but he held you steady. For a moment, he was silent and just gazed into your eyes like he was trying to remember this or maybe he was just debating whether he should kiss you or not.

You made the decision for him though and planted a quick kiss on his clavicle, even if you had to jump a little to do so. His zygomatic bones flushed a soft scarlet but he didn't seem embarrassed, just content. It was kind of reassuring to see actually, and you knew that no matter what happened next, you would make the right decision, together.

Just then, Undyne sprinted into the hallway and you were surprised to see that she was carrying Alphys under one arm. The fish lady jogged up to you before finally setting the poor scientist down.

"I told ya I'd catch up!" Undyne exclaimed. "Alphy wanted to come too, otherwise I would've met you at the resort, but, we're here now."

"I'm so glad you could make it!" You grinned and nearly went to hug her, but thought better of it as you were holding Frisk and didn't want to squish them.

Undyne cracked her neck and smacked her fist into her palm. "Alright, let's talk to this tyrant..." she growled.

< ~ - . - ~ >

When you all stepped into the throne room, King Asgore was sat on his throne and clearly had been waiting for your arrival. He certainly cut a very intimidating figure and at the same time looked exactly like what you'd pictured a Monster King to look like.

He had scruffy white fur, long black hair that cascaded over his neck, a matching well trimmed beard, and large pointy horns similar to bull's horns. His eyes were yellow but there was a ring of red around the black sclera. His overall appearance seemed similar to a goat, what with the long floppy ears and muzzle, although he did also have sharp fangs and claws. He wore a very intricate suit of gold plated armour with massive shoulder pauldrons and a long, flowing red cape. There was also a crown with numerous precious stones perched on his head.

He was quite evidently not happy to see you and his scowl deepened considerably. However, he didn't say anything at first and slowly rose to meet you.

"So, you've finally brought the human to me..."

His voice started low but carried a noticeable weight that demanded respect, almost like a distant rumble of thunder signalling an impending storm. You could see now for yourself why he was so feared and he'd only just started speaking.

He surveyed your group with a critical gaze, focusing on everyone individually before his eyes settled on you and Frisk. You refused to be intimidated and stared passively back, although you did hold Frisk a little closer. They leaned into you as well and wrapped their arms around your neck.

"What made you think I wouldn't notice your presence here?" he asked, although you were pretty sure the question was rhetorical and that he was basically mocking you. "Or that you could manipulate my own subjects into turning traitor?"

He finally took his eyes off of you and turned to address your friends again. "The leader of my army... My head scientist... You even managed to sink your disgusting talons into my executioner," he spat.

"Even now the public is being brainwashed by your pathetic lies... Freedom... True peace... Bah!" His sharp tone echoed throughout the vast room now. "Your kind lost the opportunity for peace the moment my own son turned to dust in my arms!" he thundered.

No one had said anything yet. Maybe it was because Asgore hadn't given them a chance to. Or maybe there simply was nothing to say. They had all become traitors, consequences be damned, because they all had come to care for you and Frisk.

Slow but steady footfalls sounded from behind and the King's scowl faltered for brief moment when he saw who it was.

"And that has become your downfall," a familiar voice hissed. "You became set in the past and refused to change. Violence won't bring you peace and it certainly won't bring our son back."

"Tori..." Asgore murmured and went to take a step forward, only to stop himself. He slowly turned to you again and leveled you with a look that could kill. "You even turned my own wife against me."

"No, you did this to yourself." Toriel moved to stand in between you and the King. While she was smaller than he was, she cut her own brand of intimidation and if you didn't know better, you'd say it was very effective.

You really should've realized she was the ex-queen once you learned she was missing, but with everything that had happened, you'd nearly forgotten meeting her. It made complete sense though and while you were definitely surprised to see her again, you were also incredibly grateful that she'd cared enough to help you.

She continued her statement, fully flexing her authority in this situation. "This is a coup, Asgore. We won't put up with your tyranny anymore. You can either continue to stand in our way or you can die like the pathetic coward that you are," she snarled.

You finally tore your eyes away from the King and looked over at your friends. He'd spoken like you were some sick mastermind who had planned all of this from the start. Truthfully, you hadn't meant to befriend several of the most important monsters in the Underground, it had just happened.

Seeing that your friends were willing to stand up against the most powerful monster in the entire Underground just for two humans, filled you with Determination.

You cleared your throat and took a small step forward to get Asgore's attention. "Your Highness, I must object to your previous statements about me. We never wanted to hurt any Monsters, in fact, they willingly chose to stand here today with us. Frisk and I want peace, for both humans and monsters. And to do that, we want to break the barrier so that your people can be free once again."

You sighed and glanced down at your feet before adding one more thing. "I am truly sorry about your son but he can't come back. You're allowed to grieve, but that doesn't mean you should make your people suffer the same as you. Please, let this cycle end..."

Papyrus put his hand on your shoulder and when you looked up at him, he smiled warmly down at you. There was clear pride in his scarlet eyelights and your soul swelled in response. You meant every word you'd said and even just the small act of doing so, well, it felt like everything had come full circle.

Asgore hung his head in silent defeat. After a tense moment, he let out a long sigh and turned away. "I can see when I'm outmatched..." he muttered. "Come, I will show you the barrier if that's what you really want."

You shared quiet glances with everyone before following the King through the castle. While everyone stayed close, Papyrus was especially so with you and his hand never left your shoulder. You really appreciated the tender gesture, even if you didn't say so out loud, but you had a feeling that there was no need. He definitely knew how you felt by now.

You hadn't known what to expect, but a white wall that seemed to stretch on forever, wasn't at all what you'd pictured the barrier to look like. It seemed to emit a low rumble that permeated your entire being or maybe that was just the sheer amount of magic coming off of it. This thing was clearly ancient and you couldn't help but feel a sense of morbid awe that humans had once been capable of something like this.

Seven glass cylinders rose out of an indent in the floor and your eyes widened at what they contained. Five multicolored small hearts floated passively in the tanks and for a moment, you almost forgot that these were human souls. They were so pretty and at times seemed to pulse with a strange energy. There was a light blue soul, an orange soul, a dark blue soul, a yellow soul, and a green soul in all, with the remaining two cylinders being empty.

Flowey popped out of the ground not far away from the souls and Frisk immediately scrambled to get down. You just about dropped them in their haste but thankfully didn't.

There was a shattering of glass and then the whole world went black.

< ~ - . - ~ >

Where am I?

Everywhere you could see was dark.

If you stared out into the darkness for too long, it only seemed to grow darker.

Yet darker.

Where is everyone?

You looked around for anything other than darkness and at first, you saw nothing. Rather, you heard something instead.

Someone was behind you and you could hear their breathing they were so close.

You whirled and came face to face with the last person you had expected.

It was the skeleton with the cracked face.

"You..."

His crooked smile widened slightly and he brought his hands up in front of his chest. "We meet again it seems..." he signed slowly.

"Yes... Where are we exactly?" you asked, glancing around again.

He waited until you looked back at him before answering. "This is the Void... How did you get here anyways?"

You shrugged, "I'm not sure actually. We were trying to break the barrier, but as soon as Flowey absorbed the human souls, everything went dark."

"Fascinating..." He scanned your body for a moment thoughtfully. "It seems your soul has been separated from your body... Not to worry, you are still very much alive..."

It was pretty awkward for a moment as you tried to process this and neither of you had anything to say.

"Wait..." You turned to the skeleton sharply which seemed to actually startle him. "Where's everyone else? Where's Frisk?"

He blinked before turning to look out into the Void. After concentrating for a few moments, he slowly signed, "They are safe... Your child is truely impressive... They are Determined to make sure everyone gets their happy ending..."

"That sounds like them..." You frowned slightly and added, "Wait, they're not..."

He turned sharply and cut you off. "Am I wrong? You certainly seem close...and they seem to regard you as their parent..." You didn't like the way he was smiling right now, as if he'd just discovered a juicy secret.

You were stunned and couldn't seem to respond. He seemed to take this as confirmation and chuckled, although it sounded incredibly rough like his voice had been damaged somehow.

"You humans are so interesting... You would rather live in denial than be honest with each other..."

You huffed and crossed your arms. "And who are you to judge?"

He still seemed rather amused if the twinkle in his vermillion eyelights was anything to go by. "My apologies... I forgot we hadn't been properly introduced..." Placing a hand on his chest, he bowed slightly. "I am Dr. W. D. Gaster, the first Royal Scientist... It is truely a pleasure to meet you sixth human..."

"Actually, you can just call me Rihanna, everyone else does," you corrected gently.

"Very well..." Gaster looked around at the Void for a moment. "I suspect we won't have much time to talk so I'd like to ask a favour of you..."

"What kind of favour?" you asked.

Gaster made eye contact with you again and signed, "Please, I am trapped in this place... If you could remember me and try to find someone who can help me get out of here... I would forever be in your debt..."

You nodded, "I will try my best."

Gaster was right and it happened without warning. One moment you were talking with him and the next, the Void began to splinter, similarly to what had happened in your nightmare. You had a feeling you were about to wake up and in desperation, you grabbed onto him.

He seemed surprised but didn't resist. "Frisk isn't the only one who wants everyone to have a happy ending!" you exclaimed. "Forgive me, but I have to try to help you too!"

The last thing you saw before everything went dark once again was a flash of multicolored light and then there was a deafening crack.

Very interesting...

< ~ - . - ~ >

You woke with a start.

The first thing you noticed was how weary you felt, like you'd been on your feet all day, and your head was pounding like you were about to get a migraine. The second thing you noticed was how bright everything was, although it was a warmer colour than the sheer white of the barrier.

Sunlight. That was sunlight!

Did that mean Flowey had succeeded?

You went to sit up but were stopped by Papyrus when he gently pressed against your chest with his hand. "Easy Precious, Everyone Is Safe," he whispered.

"Where's Frisk?" you asked hoarsely.

Papyrus pointed to Toriel, who was currently embracing a small child with similarly white fur, with Asgore standing nearby, both monsters noticeably had tears running down their cheeks. Frisk was standing close to the goat child, rubbing their back in a reassuring way.

You were still concerned but they seemed okay which you were glad to see. You could hold off on being a mama bear until later on...

Turning to Papyrus, you gave him a weak smile. "Are you okay?"

He chuckled and stroked your cheek affectionately. "I Have Felt Better But I Am Alright. There Is Nothing To Worry About," he assured you.

You held out your arms in a silent plea for a hug, which he granted without hesitation, pulling you into one of the fiercest hugs you'd had to date.

"I Was So Worried About You..." he murmured against your neck. "We Have A Lot To Talk About, Rihanna... And I Do Not Just Mean About What Comes Next."

"Did something happen?" you asked quietly.

He hesitated to answer at first. "Again, A Lot Of Things Happened, But Remember When I Asked If You Would Soul Bond With Me Before?"

You nodded against his collarbone, "I do..."

"During That Fight Earlier, I Am Pretty Sure Your Soul Tried To Initiate A Partial Bond With Mine..." Before you could freak out, he quickly added, "Do Not Worry, It Is A Good Sign That We Are More Compatible Than I Predicted. You Wanted To Protect Me And Your Soul Simply Acted."

"I'm sorry... This is a whole lot to take in right now. Can we come back to this, soon?"

"Of Course We Can," he hummed softly.

You sat there for several minutes longer, just holding each other and enjoying the closeness. Eventually though, the others began to group up again and you both decided to separate, for now anyways.

Sans approached you first but he hesitated and awkwardly rubbed the back of his skull. "so, uh, there's really no good way to put this..." he started to say. "but there's someone you should meet, paps." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder and when your gaze followed the direction he'd indicated, you were shocked by who you saw.

Gaster had made it afterall. He was currently holding a conversation with Alphys, who seemed rather excited by how animated she was, while Undyne stood nearby watching him closely.

Papyrus frowned and shook his head. "Who Is He And What Is He Doing Here?"he grumbled. You hissed quietly when his grip tightened around you, almost painfully so. He quickly realized though and loosened his hold, shooting you an apologetic smile.

"I don't know him very well yet, but he was in the Void and we talked a little. So I guess I brought him back here? I don't know what really happened..." You tried to explain but the more you talked, the more confused even you became.

"We Apparently Have Much More To Discuss Than I Thought..." Papyrus mused thoughtfully.

Heya, Coon here!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this and come along on this month long journey with me. I appreciate it so much, whether you just liked it and moved on or reblogged and left comments. I've never had this many people enjoy my writing before and your support definitely encouraged me to keep going, even when I got stuck.

As you may have already guessed, I am not nearly done with this challenge fic. I will be making a couple of follow up bonus chapters based on ideas and prompts I didn't have time to explore fully. While the plot is mostly wrapped up, expect more from me in the next little while. Probably won't be every day though...this was mentally exhausting and I'll be taking things easier for a bit.

At least until whether I know if Owl_bones made a prompt list for Nightmare in January or not lol

Feel free to shoot me an ask about anything and everything. As my sister can testify, I love to info dump about my fics!

See you soon lovelies! (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ

#selfshipufpap #undertale #underfell #underfell papyrus x reader #underfell papyrus #reader #named oc #the hand we've been dealt #thwbd #alternate universe #raccoons drabbles

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